


Rising Creatures of the East

by ddelusionall



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, JYJ (Band), NewS (Band)
Genre: Discrimination, Elves, Endgame Changmin/FC, Endgame Yoosu, Endgame YunJae, Fae & Fairies, Falling In Love, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Heechul is my favorite even tho he's a dick, Heterosexual Relationship, Idols, Jaejoong is pretty, M/M, Minor Character Death, Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Were-Creatures, Yoochun has the power, Zombies, there are other pairings besides those tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-20
Updated: 2010-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:33:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 92,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23876983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddelusionall/pseuds/ddelusionall
Summary: What do you get when you cross an elf, a vampire, a faerie, a zombie and a werewolf? A singing goup? No way!It's absurd. Ridiculous. Forming an integrated singing group? The elf will kill the faerie, the vamp is going to murder the wolf. The zombie is falling apart. With everything stacked up against them, can they look past their differences and support each other in their trials? Can they be friends? *scoffs* Sure. Who's idea was this again? Right, a human's.
Relationships: Jung Yunho (DBSK)/Kim Jaejoong, Shim Changmin/Original Female Character(s), Yoochun/Junsu
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. I swear if you three don’t shut up, I’m going to go vampire lord on all of your asses!

**Author's Note:**

> I am importing my stories from LiveJournal. The original fic can be found [here](http://be-ddelusionall.livejournal.com/).
> 
> I haven't read this story in a long time, so I may have missed some tags. Just let me know if I did.
> 
> This is a creature fic. The DBSK boys are
> 
> Jaejoong - Faerie  
>  Yunho - Werewolf  
>  Yoochun - Vampire  
>  Junsu - Elf  
>  Changmin - Zombie

“Changmin!”

Junsu went down the hallway and pounded on Changmin’s bedroom door.

“Changmin, you stupid, walking corpse, you open this door right this instant!”

The door flew open. Junsu glared up at him. Changmin scrunched his face. Not always the best idea since his skin was no longer as pretty as it was when he was alive. The crinkles tended to stay until he could get to a mirror and flatten them out.

What did he do now?

“What did I do?” Changmin asked.

Junsu lifted up his foot. A slightly, smelly glob of fleshy, green goo was stuck to his $400 Guccis.

“How many times have I told you to pick up after yourself?”

“Sorry, sorry, hyung. Sometimes I don’t notice.”

“Don’t notice. You don’t notice? You leave a fucking chunk of your body and you don’t notice?”

Changmin shrugged. “It comes with being a zombie, I guess. Don’t worry, hyung. I’ll clean it up.”

There was loud knocking from the door next to Changmin’s.

“Shut the hell up,” Yoochun shouted. “Some of us have to sleep during the day.”

Junsu thought of Yoochun shouting. His mouth open wide. Sometimes when he was angry like that, his fangs would extend a little. Junsu shivered.

“Sorry, hyung,” Changmin called. He shut the door of his room and went to the kitchen for cleaning supplies.

Yoochun waited for Junsu’s footsteps, but they never came. Even if the guy was an elf and light on his feet, Yoochun could usually hear him. He could most certainly smell him. Junsu was still in the hallway. He smelled different than the rest. Changmin stank, but after a few days, Yoochun grew used to it. Jaejoong smelled like light. Yoochun knew that wasn’t a way to describe it, but if he could go out in the sun, and if the sun had a smell that’s how that beautiful faerie would smell.

Junsu. Well, Junsu smelled like dessert. Like chocolate and cherries and mochi and brown sugar all at once.

Yoochun had no idea if all elves smelled that way. He didn’t really care. He heard Junsu sigh, and then he lost the sound of soft footfalls as Junsu entered the living room. He moved around his dark room and sat at the end of his bed. He hadn’t really been asleep despite how much he needed it. It was just so hard to sleep after drinking a liter of animal blood.

After the lady who brought him his rations told him that all she had was rat’s blood, Yoochun stopped asking what kind it was. It all tasted foul, like he was drinking blood mixed with sand.

Human blood was a distant memory.

He fought down nausea. Even if it was gross, it was better than dying from the lack of it. He tried not to think about what Junsu’s blood would taste like.

Junsu sat heavily on the couch.

“Junsu, baby,” Jaejoong crooned. “Don’t wrinkle your forehead like that. It’s most unattractive.”

Junsu glared at him, but Jaejoong wasn’t paying attention. He held a mirror in front of him. His hair turned from red to blond, and then a mixture of the two, before setting into a color Junsu could only describe as cinnamon.

“It doesn’t matter what color you choose, hyung,” Junsu said.

Jaejoong flashed his perfect smile at Junsu. “I know I’m always beautiful. What are you all flustered about anyway?”

“Nothing I want to talk about,” Junsu said and slouched into the couch.

Jaejoong tsked at him. “Sit up straight, Elf. Your race is entirely too emotional.”

“Better than vain.”

“I am not vain. Just because I enjoy being beautiful—”

“Are you sure your name isn’t Narcissus?”

Jae didn’t scowl because there was no way he’d allow a wrinkle to mar his face. “Don’t take your anger out on me. Whatever is bothering you, you need to deal with it, not bring your problems to the rest of us.”

“I’m hungry.”

They both looked up at Changmin. Junsu rolled his eyes. Changmin was always hungry.

“So eat something,” Jaejoong said.

“We’re out of meat.”

“Are you a child? Go buy some.”

Changmin gulped.

Jaejoong smirked. Changmin going out into the street was dangerous. Especially by himself.

“Come with me.”

Jae’s mouth opened in shock. “At this time of day? The sun would scorch my perfectly ivory skin.”

“Man, if Yoochun can go out with sunscreen on, so can you, you fragile, vain faerie.”

“You go with him,” Jae said.

Junsu said no. “He ruined my Gucci’s.”

“Oh, go buy another pair.”

“Shut up!” Yoochun shouted from his room. His strong voice reverberated through the apartment.

Junsu shivered and licked his lips.

Jae smirked at him. So that’s what the dear elf was agonizing over. Jae filed the moment away, intent on teasing Junsu whenever he could.

Changmin was shifting his weight from foot to foot. “So hungry.”

“Stop doing that!” Junsu shouted as the unmistakable splat and splash of flesh hit the wood floor.

Jae stood up. He moved to the window, careful to keep out of the direct light, he stuck his head out. There were quite a few girls on the sidewalk. One saw him, squealed and then the others were pointing up at him.

“Hello, ladies,” he said with a smile. “Changmin’s hungry again.”

“He can eat my brains!”

“No, mine! Mine are better! I get better grades than you do, Sahar!”

“Shut up, Lexy! You’re stupid! Pretty brains taste better.”

“Ladies,” Jae said. “He just needs some meat.”

“I’ll get it!”

“No, I will!”

The two girls rushed off. Jae went back to the living room.

“Hyung,” Changmin whined. “How many times have I asked you not to encourage them?”

Jae waved him off. He had his head out the window longer than he meant to. He conjured up his mirror again and then lengthened it. He preened. Nope, not enough to darken his skin at all. He turned around, making sure his pearlescent wings landed correctly on his back. The open back of his shirt had a fold in it. With careful movements and a bit of magic, his long fingers straightened the offending material.

“Stupid faerie,” Junsu said and stood up. “You’re too beautiful.”

“Too bad I’m not a vampire,” Jae said.

Junsu stopped and turned; he snarled.

Jaejoong smiled. “Not intimidating, my diminutive elf friend. A snap of my fingers and you’d be uglier than Changmin.”

“Hey!” Changmin said. “Just because you’re perfect doesn’t mean you can make fun of me. I do my best. I’m dead! How am I supposed to look like you when I’m dead! Just wait until you die!”

“Faeries turn to liquid when they die and either float away on the breeze or—”

Junsu scoffed. “I always knew you were full of piss and wind.”

“I swear if you three don’t shut up, I’m going to go vampire lord on all of your asses!”

Junsu used the distraction to head to his room. Only Yoochun noticed that his footsteps slowed as he walked by the vampire’s door.

Jaejoong went back to preening, and Changmin had to once again clean up flesh from the floor. It was only this bad when he was hungry. Unfortunately he was always hungry.

The doorbell rang. Jaejoong unfurled his wings and flew the two feet to the door. He opened it. The young man on the other side looked like he was about to say something, but of course, lost himself in looking at Jaejoong’s beauty. Jaejoong knew his side profile wasn’t nearly as debilitating as looking at him right on, so he turned his head to the side.

“Uh, these are for Changmin hyung,” he muttered and held out his hands.

Jaejoong could smell the meat, and he sniffed in disdain.

“Changmin, it’s someone from your fan club.”

Changmin was suddenly next to him. Jae moved away quickly and inspected his body for any Changmin-flaking.

“Oh, Sylver, my hero. Come in, come in.”

Footsteps pounded up the stairs. Sylver looked back through the door just before it closed and smirked at the shocked faces of Lexy and Sahar. The girls had run to a market and he just lived in the building. Of course, his parents were going to kill him when they found tonight’s dinner gone. But it was for Changmin, and he’d do just about anything for Changmin.

\---

Across town, a brooding werewolf received some very bad new.

“I’m sorry, Yunho-shi, but there’s nothing we can do. No one likes the Werewolves anymore. Sure, the girls all love you, but your band mates look like … well, half men, half wolves all the time. You’re one of the few that keeps his man shape during the month. And besides, we’re not kicking you out, just moving you.”

“Moving me?”

“Yes, we have a group that we’re working on. There’s always seemed to be one thing missing from it, and we think that you’re it.”

“What kind of group?”

The manager looked down and pulled at his collar. “Well, it’s an … integrated group.”

“Integrated?”

“Yes. You’ll be working with an elf, a zombie, a vampire and a faerie.”

Yunho sat in shock. This was a very daring venture. No entertainment company had tried to mix creatures before.

“Right now, the four of them are living in an apartment near here. Things are chaotic. They need a leader. You’re a great leader, so we’ve decided to pick you.”

Yunho still couldn’t say anything.

“Yunho-shi? Are you alright?”

Yunho shook his head. “I think I’d rather have you kick me out.”

The man laughed like Yunho had made a joke.


	2. Try not to touch me unless I allow it and I know your hands are clean.

Yoochun risked a peek out his curtains. Finally the sun was setting. Summer sucked. Long, long hours of daylight. Yeah, he could go out in it if he had to, like in the morning or evening, and as long as he caked his whole body with SPF-5000 ForVAMPS sunscreen. But never in the afternoon.

He paused at the door, located all the occupants in the apartment. The zombie was in the kitchen as always. Jaejoong was in his room. Junsu was alone. In the living room.

Yoochun glided there. He stood in the slightly darkened hallway and watched the back of Junsu’s head. That sweet, melt-in-your-mouth, hopefully-in-your-hand scent assailed his nose. Deep breath.

Junsu heard him. Elf hearing was only second to vampire hearing.

He smiled. “Yoochun, glad you could join the world of the living.”

“I told you, I don’t die when the sun comes up. It just burns my skin.”

“I know,” he said and patted the couch next to him. “I’m just teasing.”

Yoochun sat across from him instead. That close and he might do something stupid. And illegal.

Junsu frowned when Yoochun didn’t sit next to him, but then decided he liked this better. He could stare at Yoochun from here. And stare he did.

“Are you writing any new songs?” Junsu asked.

He smiled and Junsu was disappointed that he didn’t show teeth. “I’m always writing new songs. Are they good songs? Not usually.”

Junsu giggled. “Liar. All your songs are good. I can hear you sing them when you think no one is home.”

 _I sing them because I know you can hear them,_ Yoochun thought.

Soft, precise, pretty footsteps come down the hall. Yoochun wasn’t sure how a footstep could be pretty, but Jaejoong made them that way. Just like he couldn’t describe how Jae smelled like light, he couldn’t describe a pretty footstep.

“Hello, lovers,” Jae crooned.

Yoochun raised his eyebrows. But when that sweet Elf smell sparked through the air, he shot his eyes to a very blushing Junsu.

Before Jae could make fun of Junsu’s red face, his phone beeped. And then Junsu’s phone beeped and so did Yoochun’s. There was a chirp from the kitchen. They all flipped open their phones.

“Cancel your plans. Stay at the apartment. Bringing someone new,” Yoochun read out loud.

“Thank you, genius vampire. I didn’t know you could learn to read under the cover of darkness.”

Yoochun replied, “Electricity. It’s just like you. Controlled light, but without the attitude and I can turn electricity off.”

“You turn me on,” Jae said with a leer.

Yoochun knew that was a lie, but in the corner of his eye, he saw Junsu scowl. Interesting.

“Hyungs,” Changmin said as he came into the living room. “I made hamburgers.”

The three of them winced. The last time they’d eaten food prepared by Changmin, they’d eaten Changmin, too.

“You save them for yourself,” Junsu said. “I don’t think we’re hungry.”

“Definitely not for meat,” Jae muttered.

There was a knock on the door. Jaejoong got up to answer it. Well, Changmin thought, he didn’t get up. It was more like he rose majestically and made the air move for him so it wouldn’t blemish his perfect skin.

There was a splat behind him. He cursed. Stupid skin. He blamed Seungri for his current predicament. It was his own fault for getting drunk with a zombie. Seungri had wasted no time in taking a bite out of him as soon as Changmin was incoherent. Changmin hoped that was all Seungri had done to him, but he couldn’t remember. He shivered.

Splat.

The four of them stood and bowed as one of their human managers walked through the door. He was followed by a tall, attractive young man that all the other young men in the apartment recognized.

“A werewolf?” Yoochun spat. “What is the matter with you people up in management?”

“Yoochun,” Jaejoong admonished. “Is that anyway to greet someone?”

He turned to Yunho. And yeah, he was gorgeous. Too bad about the wolf thing. He was almost good looking enough to be a faerie. Almost. “I am Jaejoong,” he said with a bow. “I don’t shake hands. Try not to touch me unless I allow it and I know your hands are clean. Aren’t I beautiful?”

The werewolf had the audacity to scoff. And that made Yoochun and Junsu snicker. Jaejoong flipped his hair, which he had grown out long for the evening and turned his back on the newcomer. He pulled out a mirror, relaxing when he saw his beautiful face staring back at him.

“Narcissus,” Junsu muttered.

“Jealous,” Jaejoong replied.

“Anyway,” the manager said. “Boys, this is Jung Yunho. He’s going to be the leader of this group. That’s Yoochun, he’s a vampire. Junsu the elf and Changmin is a zombie. Jaejoong’s a faerie, if you couldn’t tell.”

Yunho didn’t need the introductions. He could smell what kind of creatures they all were.

“Well, I’ll let you all get acquainted,” the manager said.

The manager left. Yunho surveyed the others in the living room. The elf was staring at the vampire. The vampire was staring at Yunho, distrust in his eyes. The zombie was eating … was that a cheeseburger? And the faerie was looking in a mirror making kissy faces at his reflection. He had to lead these guys?

“Are you hungry, Yunho hyung?” Changmin asked. “I made cheeseburgers.”

“No,” Junsu said and rose swiftly. “Don’t eat what Changmin cooks unless you like a little cooked zombie with your food.”

“What?” Changmin said.

“Tastes like tofu actually,” Yunho said with a shrug. “I’ve eaten my share on wild, full moon nights.”

Changmin swallowed and turned a darker shade of green.

Yunho grinned, showing all of his canines. “I may want a snack later, corpse boy.”

“That’s just disgusting,” Jaejoong said. “Why the hell did I let Heechul talk me into joining this stupid entertainment business?”

His wings snapped open, and he flittered through the house. His door slammed.

“So, Fido,” Yoochun said, and the werewolf growled at him, “as our new leader, what do you propose we do to form a cohesive group?”

“Disband and do something else,” Yunho replied quickly. “This integrated stuff is shit. Where’s my bedroom?”

“With me,” Junsu said. “It’s a four bedroom flat, but for obvious reasons both Yoochun and Changmin have their own rooms, and trust me, you don’t want to share with Jaejoong.”

Yunho sighed in relief. Of all the creatures, elves were really the most tolerant. “Lead the way.”

Yoochun watched and then listened to them walk down the hall. When Yunho said something and Junsu laughed, Yoochun snarled. A werewolf? A werewolf? A WEREWOLF? He tried taking deep breaths. He didn’t have too much time to be really angry. Junsu’s scent was moving toward him again. It stopped in the kitchen.

“Yoochun,” Junsu called. “Isn’t it time for your feeding?”

“I don’t want it,” Yoochun said.

“Too bad,” Junsu said and came out in the living room holding a jar full of red liquid.

They met each others eyes for a moment. One thinking how he wanted to suck the other’s blood and the other thinking how he wanted the other to suck his blood.

“Um, I can heat it up for you, if that makes it better,” Junsu muttered.

“Nothing can make that shit better,” Yoochun said and rose. He took the jar from Junsu and headed to the sink. He always drank it over the sink, just in case it came back up.

Junsu knew that Yoochun hated it when people watched him drink blood, but he couldn’t move. His feet were planted firmly on the tiled floor. Yoochun twisted the lid off, turned sideways and gripped the sink with one hand. He took a deep breath, made a face and then put the jar to his lips. He guzzled it. Junsu’s eyes went wide as he watched Yoochun’s Adam’s apple bob up and down. A tiny bit trickled from the side of the jar.

Junsu whimpered. The noise was almost enough to make Yoochun stop drinking, but if he stopped, then he’d just have to start again. Better to get it over with in one go.

“God, that shit is nasty,” he said as he yanked the jar from his mouth. He ran his tongue over his fangs. They always extended when he drank blood, but they ached too. Drinking from a can and sinking into soft flesh were completely different. His fangs wanted to feed. Every time they were down, they pulsed trying to suck.

He rinsed the jar out and washed his hands. He gulped down a large glass of water.

And without that awful shit in his face, he could smell Junsu again. He turned to the other man and frowned. Junsu looked like he was about to fall over.

“Junsu, did I get all the blood out of my teeth?” Yoochun flashed him full fangs.

Junsu’s eyes fluttered and he made a noise. Yoochun’s amazing sense of smell picked up a moment of arousal and then it was buried.

“Junsu.”

The other man didn’t flinch. He was definitely looking at Yoochun, but not in his eyes. At his mouth. Why was he looking at his mouth? He waved a hand in front of his face and then snapped his fingers.

Junsu jerked alert.

“You okay?”

Junsu swallowed and turned away. “Yeah. I’m fine, fangs. Um, I mean. Thanks.”


	3. Jae waited for the three of them to swoon or something.

The next morning, Yunho was about ready to kill them all. He hoped that by the time the moon was full in one week that sentiment changed. There was something fishy going on with the elf and the vampire. The faerie had insulted him more than once. Shit, the only one he could really stand was the zombie, and he was dead!

Yunho, Junsu and Changmin sat in the living room. The TV was on, but none were paying attention to it.

A key rattled in the lock. The door opened. And not like Jaejoong opened it, but like it opened for him. Carefully, respectfully, like that damn faerie could even make wood and hinges fall in love with him. Jaejoong slipped into the room, followed by three other faeries. All four of them had bright red hair. Jae wore green. Heechul was in red, Hongki in yellow and Tegoshi in blue.

To Yunho’s surprise, there were three human girls with them.

“What the hell is this, Pixie?” Junsu demanded.

Jae scoffed. “I’m not a pixie. I’m a faerie.”

“Whatever. What the hell is this?”

Jaejoong smiled. “These are my friends.”

The three girls sputtered and cooed.

“Your clothes look like a rainbow threw up,” Yunho said.

All four of them scoffed and flipped their hair at the same time.

“Plebian,” Heechul said.

“Even better,” Jae said. “Werewolf.”

The other three made faces. “You have to live with a dog?” Goshi said in very broken Korean.

“Hey!” Yunho said and stood.

Jae waved him down. “Calm down, puppy. At least he’s a cute puppy, right boys?”

Hongki agreed, but Heechul looked at him in disdain. Then he turned to Jae. “Your standards are slipping.”

“I know,” he said. “I’m still friends with you.”

“Um, Jae, there’s a human touching you,” Changmin said.

Jae nodded. “This is Kelly.” Kelly’s eyes rolled back in her head when Jae kissed her cheek.

Yunho scoffed. Humans. Such susceptible creatures.

“She must be worthy,” Junsu said, voice scathing.

“Of course. Would I let her touch me otherwise? Anyway, guys, this is Heechul, Hongki and Tegoshi. Goshi is from Japan.”

Jae waited for the three of them to swoon or something.

Changmin looked slightly ill.

Yunho was shaking his head.

At least Junsu was paying attention, although he looked more ticked off than awed.

Jaejoong continued the introductions. “And that’s Traci with Heechul and Kei with Hongki.”

“Why doesn’t Goshi have a human follower?” Changmin asked.

“He does, but he left her in Japan to await his return.”

Yunho stood up. “I wish I could say it was nice to meet all of you,” he left the room, grumbling and Junsu picked up, “Fucking stupid, waste of space faerie.”

With a flick of magic, the floor and couches were cleaned. The faeries settled into them. Kelly and Traci sat on the floor leaning back against Jae and Heechul’s legs. Hongki, Tegoshi and Kei curled up on the floor.

The TV started flipping through channels. It stopped on “The Faerie Channel. Beautiful all day, every day.”

Heechul had a scathing comment for every beautiful faerie shown on TV. “Seriously,” he said, while looking at his nails, “why do they let ugly people on TV? Don’t faeries care about their image anymore?”

“Image? You mean feminine, weak, arrogant, vain, should I keep going?” Junsu asked.

“Jealous,” Jaejoong sang.

“It’s too bright in here,” Hongki complained. Kei immediately stood up and tried to shade Hongki’s face.

“Is that better, oppa?” she said, her face flush and voice full of awe.

“Now you’re just smothering me. Do sit down.”

She looked like she was about to cry, but did as she was told. She visibly relaxed and smiled widely when Hongki put a hand on her shoulder.

“It is pretty bright,” Heechul said, and Goshi agreed.

“Are you guys suddenly vampires?” Junsu demanded.

“You wish,” Jae shot back and smiled in triumph when Junsu blushed.

Junsu stood up. He grabbed the small planted pot from the corner table and sat it next to Jae’s arm. He touched the soil, let power, growth and nutrients flow through his fingers. In about ten seconds, a small, leafy tree stood there. All four faeries and their girls were cast in shadow.

“Better?” Junsu snapped.

“That was cool,” Changmin said. “How’d you do it?”

“Magic,” Junsu replied wiggling his fingers in Changmin’s face. “How do you manage to stay alive with your skin falling off all the time?”

Changmin sneered and snapped at his fingers.

“Does it have to be a fig tree?” Jae said. “Orange would have been better. I really want an orange.”

“Why can’t you just fucking say, ‘Hey, Junsu, thanks. I appreciate it.’ You always find something wrong with everything. No one and nothing is fucking perfect.”

“I am,” Heechul said.

Jae opened his mouth to protest and closed it. “Heechul’s right. He’s perfect.”

Heechul stuck his tongue out at Junsu and went back to his nails.

“You’re all insane,” Junsu said.

“What’s the matter, Su?” Jae said with a small insincere pout. “Not getting what you want?”

“Shut up,” Junsu muttered and left the room. He wasn’t sure how Jae had figured out his fascination with Yoochun, but the damn pixie wouldn’t let it go. Junsu paused at Yoochun’s door, hand raised to knock. He stopped himself, and then listened. He could barely make out Yoochun’s steady breathing. He was asleep. He sighed and went to his room, only to find the door locked and loud music blaring inside. Yunho didn’t answer his knocks.

He had to get out.

He ignored the faeries now lounging in the shade of his fig tree and left the apartment. It’d been too long since he surrounded himself with nature. He headed to the sanctuary, intent to dispel this negative energy through growing.

Yoochun rolled over in the bed. He’d forced his breathing slow as Junsu walked by. God, what was it about that damn elf? Why did he have to smell so good?

And what the fuck was that werewolf listening too?

Yoochun stormed out of his room and pounded on the door. Of course, with vampire strength the door buckled and fell off its hinges.

“What the fuck?” Yunho shouted.

“I sleep during the day,” Yoochun said. “Turn the damn music down!”

“You sleep during the day, Changmin keeps falling apart and that stupid faerie thinks he’s perfect. What the hell was SM thinking? There’s no way we’re going to be able to be a group!”

Yunho stalked past him. He stopped in the living room and stared. A tree. In the living room. Growing out of the end table. Damn that elf. He walked through the living room, making sure to brush up against Jae.

“Hey!” Jae shouted. “Don’t you shed all over me, little puppy.”

“Grow a pair,” Yunho shouted back and slammed the door on them all.

He leaned against it and took deep breaths. Last night he’d contemplated quitting. He just couldn’t. Performing was part of him. He didn’t want to imagine his life without dancing or singing. Even in this controversial group, he’d still get to do what he loved.

Or he’d go to prison for eating them all when they annoyed him.

He pushed away from the door and left the apartment. Damn it. He forgot his hat and sunglasses. People were going to recognize him. He walked with his head down, following the cracks in the sidewalk.

His nose smelled cat right before he smacked into someone. They landed in a heap. It took a moment for Yunho’s head to clear.

“Watch where you’re going, jack—” The girl broke off and stared at him. Then her lip curled and she actually hissed.

Cat.

Yunho bared his canines. They both rose slowly, moving apart. She was pretty. Cat eyes. Blue green, brown, a bit of everything really. Her hair was black with orange and white streaks and spots.

“Sorry,” Yunho said gruffly, fighting down the urge to chase her.

The fight left her eyes. “You’re Jung Yunho,” she said.

“Yeah.” The warning prickles down his spine subsided.

“I love the Werewolves. Man, I cried for days when SM said they were disbanding you.”

“Yeah, it sucks. Um, not to be … bigoted, I guess, but why does a werecat like the Werewolves?”

“I’m not—“

“I can smell you, and based on your hair, I’d have to say calico house cat.”

She sniffed and flipped her hair. Yunho stared at it, transfixed as the light flickered off it.

“Yes, well, so sue me if I don’t live in the confines of society. Who the fuck cares if you’re a werewolf? You’re voice is awesome, and you’re an amazing dancer.”

Yunho smiled, but werewolves do NOT blush. No, they don’t. At least, not often. “Thanks,” he whispered.

They stood in uncomfortable silence. Yunho’s nose kept twitching. Something about cats just didn’t agree with his nostrils.

“So, you know my name, what’s yours?” he asked.

“Athena,” she replied.

“Goddess of war,” Yunho replied. “Feisty little kitten.”

Her face broke into a ssukso worthy of any of them.

Yunho took a deep breath. Well, he was in the group that was going to integrate the music world. He knew he wasn’t going to stand the vampire or that damn faerie, but Changmin seemed alright, and Junsu had been nice. If he had to live with a vampire, he might as well befriend a cat. Life couldn’t get much weirder.

He held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Athena stared at it. Then up at him. A raised eyebrow, but then she laughed. She took his hand.

And he wasn’t disgusted. A bit intrigued perhaps. Her nails were really long and scraped across the back of his hand when they let go, but her skin was soft.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he asked, “Are you busy? I was about to get some lunch.”


	4. Do you know what I want now?

_Not smart. Not smart. Not smart._

Why the hell did he have to be so hungry all the time? The other zombies said that hunger was normal, but man, he had to eat a meal ten times a day.

Yunho hyung was out with that cat he had met. And Junsu wasn’t home. It was still a bit too light for Yoochun to come out, but Changmin couldn't wait another hour or so. And Jae had laughed when Changmin had asked him to come with. And he’d refused to ask the fangirls like Jae told him too.

Not smart.

His stomach growled.

_Just to the market and back. The market and back._

The beat carried his feet. He wore long sleeves and long pants and had thrown a hat on and sunglasses in hopes that the fangirls wouldn’t recognize him. The glasses kept slipping down his nose though.

Only a few hundred more steps. He smelled the meat. He wanted to walk faster but, the faster he moved the better chance of his skin falling off. There was a reason why zombies lumbered.

He stopped at the door of the market and breathed a sigh of relief. He reached for the handle, looked up and came face to face with those two crazy fangirls.

What were their names? Lexy? Sahar?

Time stopped.

One of them squealed.

Changmin grabbed the door, yanked it the wrong way and jammed it shut. The girls pulled on it, calling out his name.

He turned and headed back to the apartment. Man, he wanted to run. Almost there, he heard them call his name. They must have taken the back door. He looked ahead and dared a glance behind him.

He’d never make it. Obsessed, crazed fangirls sure knew how to run.

“Run, Changmin, run!”

Changmin looked up. Jaejoong and one of his faeries leaned out the window laughing at him.

At his shout, more of the fangirls looked up and saw him.

“OMG! It’s Changmin.”

“Changmin! Will you sign my shirt!”

“Back off, he’s mine!” a shout came from behind him.

“No, he’s not, Sahar. You can’t claim him.”

“Sahmin sounds better than Minxy!”

He was only a few feet from the stairs when the first hand grabbed him. It slowed him down enough that more latched on. The security guard saw the commotion and hurried to the door, fumbling with the key pad to let him in. He was pressed, face against the glass as what felt like hundreds of fangirls manhandled him.

“I got some! I got some!”

“Hurry and take it home and put it in a container!”

The door opened. The security guard grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him inside, slamming the door behind him.

“Sorry, Changmin-shi,” he said. “I forgot you guys changed the code yesterday.”

Changmin lifted a hand to wave at him, and then stopped and stared at his own bones. He didn’t want to look, but did anyway.

“Wow. Fiesty little lechers, ain’t they?” the security guard asked.

In shock, Changmin dragged himself to the elevator and well, he was pretty sure he hit the right button.

Jaejoong and Heechul were in the hallway when the doors opened. They both took one look at him and sniffed in disgust.

“Why would the fangirls want a piece of you?” Heechul demanded.

Changmin didn’t stop walking and both of them had to move quickly to keep from being touched by zombie flesh. He stopped under the tree.

And that’s where Yoochun found him a few minutes later.

“Fangirls?” Yoochun questioned while trying not to laugh.

Changmin nodded once.

“You look shaken up.”

Changmin held up his arm. It was bone from the elbow down, and he could feel sections of his back missing. He was sure those holes would form perfect little fists with grabby fingers.

“You need to eat something quickly.”

“Yeah.”

“I take it you didn’t get to the market.”

The doorbell rang. Yoochun went to answer it. There was no one there, but three large wrapped packages of meat sat on the floor. A note sat on top. We love you, Changmin! There was giggling down the hallway.

At least his fans take care of him, Yoochun thought and took the meat inside.

The smell of it snapped Changmin to his senses and he grabbed it.

Yoochun shivered when those bony fingers touched his hand. That was just wrong. Changmin went to the kitchen and cupboards opened and shut.

Junsu was still gone. He left yesterday, and only a quick text saying he was at the nature preserve kept Yoochun from worrying. Being an elf wasn’t much different than the rest of them. He needed his space, he needed to be around things that complemented his being.

A vampire, creature of death, did not complement an elf, creature of living things.

Yoochun sighed. He went to his room and barricaded himself in it. He wrote a few lyrics. SM wanted him to focus his lyrics on overcoming conflicting relationships. Getting along. Being nice.

But all he could come up with was star-crossed lovers. Broken hearts. Diabolical love affair. Too many differences. It could never be.

v-v  
Junsu took a deep breath and inserted his key. His day and night at the preserve had done wonders for his energy. Even now, as he walked into the apartment, little tufts of green followed him.

One of those faeries was on the couch. With his human. Hongki, yeah, the one in the yellow. If someone didn’t stop them soon, they’d be on their way to doing it on Jaejoong’s couch. Junsu moved quietly by, and made a mental note to wear earplugs to bed.

He glanced at Yoochun’s door as he walked by. Slow, sad notes came from the keyboard. Junsu knew that Yoochun would already know he was back, so he didn’t knock and disturb him. He went to his room. Yunho wasn’t there. He was surprised, but then picked up the faint smell of cat.

Cat? What the hell? Was Yunho sleeping with a cat?

What in the heck was the world coming to?

_You want to sleep with a vampire._

_No, I want to be bit by a vampire. That’s it._

_Yeah, sure._

Junsu kicked his shoes off and shucked his shirt off. He stuck his hands in his pockets to empty them, and then pulled back with a hiss when something cut his finger. He’d forgotten about the acorns he’d eaten. He plucked the offending shell from his finger.

A droplet of blood formed and then dripped down his finger.

And then he had an idea.

Yoochun pushed away from his desk. He watched the chair move in the mirror and smiled. Jae had insisted that it be put there even though Yoochun didn't need it.

"It's courteous, just in case one of us is in here and needs to check our reflection."

Yoochun's ears picked up the soft footfalls coming down the hall. 2am. None of the other guys should be awake. Then he picked up the scent. Junsu. He wasn't surprised when there were three light knocks on his door.

Yoochun thought of ignoring him, that sweet scent was a lot stronger than usual. But he knew he could control himself. He had so far.

"What?" he asked. He made sure that Junsu saw he had been working on his next song, just to look irritated. He wasn’t irritated at all.

Junsu was radiant. Whatever elves did in those preserves was good for them. His skin was pure, eye clear and deep.

All he was wearing were jeans. Yoochun swallowed.

“I have a proposition for you."

Before Yoochun could ask, Junsu pulled his hand from behind his back. A droplet of blood sat on his finger. That sweet aroma grew stronger as the seconds ticked by.

Yoochun couldn't help himself. He licked his lips."I'm listening.”

"You have something I want. I have something you need. Let's trade." He squeezed his finger. The drop turned to a little rivulet.

Yoochun swallowed hard. His fangs pulsed. "What do you want?"

Junsu moved closer. "Think about it. I know that I haven't hidden it well."

Yoochun tried, but with Junsu’s sweet blood just a foot from his nose, he couldn’t think. "Me?" he said, and cringed at the hopeful tone.

Junsu laughed, but he didn’t deny it because he knew it was true. Yeah, he needed to know what those fangs felt like in his skin, but he also needed to know what that skin felt like. How those lips tasted.

Yoochun shut his eyes. Sweet, holding a promise of nectar sliding down his throat. He jumped when the finger touched his lips. And then almost collapsed when the first taste of blood hit his tongue.

Junsu shoved his finger in his mouth. With a groan, Yoochun grabbed his hand. Sucked and as the sweet concoction travelled down his throat, his knees folded. Junsu caught him, and helped lower him to the bed.

Yoochun's fangs extended. Junsu shivered when they scrapped along his finger.

Yoochun couldn’t breathe, not that he needed to, but it helped spread the blood faster. His head was light, his eyes wouldn't open. A blood high. For the love of Dong Bang, he hadn't had one of those in a long time. Junsu pulled the finger away and Yoochun whimpered, tried to follow it.

Junsu laughed. "I know how illegal that just was, even if I forced it on you. You could be staked for it."

Yoochun gasped. Was this just a trap? Had he read too much into Junsu’s behavior? Was Junsu one of those that thought vampires shouldn't be allowed in society? As an elf, it wouldn't be surprising. Elves were creatures of light, pureness, nature. Everything a vampire wasn't. His mouth was open, gasping with this sudden nervousness that he couldn't control.

A finger, blood free, touched his fang. He felt the pad divot round the point, but not break through.

"Do you know what I want now?" Junsu whispered as the finger slid down his fang. Junsu kept his hand pressed against it, sliding down until the fang scraped across Junsu's wrist.

Yoochun whimpered, but when he went to close his mouth around the wrist, Junsu stopped him. Yoochun growled, low in his throat. It made Junsu shiver.

“Not there,” he said breathlessly. “Someone might notice.”

“Then where?”

“I’ve thought about it. A lot,” Junsu said. He climbed over Yoochun and settled on his back on the bed. Yoochun looked at Junsu’s hand, fingers were rubbing his hip. Or just a bit over, at that dip where leg met body. That place that would be easily covered.

“You are one crazy elf,” Yoochun said and tore Junsu’s jeans apart and off.

He gasped, and writhed on the bed, but he managed to say, “You owe me $250 for those,” before two sharp pinpricks of pain shot through his hip. He cried out, arched up and then everything swam. The ceiling bowed toward him, the bed flipped over, things went white and then red and then back to normal. Furniture twisted and folded and moved.

And Yoochun sucked. It was the oddest sensation. He could feel the fangs in him. Feel how they hollowed out and the muscles around them pulsed and drew the blood from his body. He had a moment of panic that, this being the first real blood Yoochun had had in years, the vampire might lose control.

But then the fangs shifted, just a bit. Junsu whimpered in pain and loss as they withdrew. Yoochun’s head stayed at his hip, breath ghosting across his erection.

After about three minutes, Yoochun moved or tried to. His whole body was shaking. He couldn’t hold his weight up on his hands and knees. Arms wrapped under his and pulled him further up on the bed.

“Is that what you wanted?” he gasped.

Junsu laughed. “For now.”

“Good.”

Yoochun passed out.


	5. Scavengers, hunters, sneaky little things.

Yunho entered the blessedly quiet apartment at about seven the next morning. He sniffed, and then cringed when all other smells were overshadowed by the scent of cat still lingering on his clothes. Still, he picked out all four of his roommates, though Yoochun and Junsu’s were a bit mixed together.

Curious, he walked down the hall. They were in Yoochun’s room, both sleeping. He smelled fading adrenaline and … blood? No, not blood. It was sweeter than blood, but he couldn’t place it.

He showered and washed twice. Athena was an amazing girl, but he really, really didn’t like smelling like a cat. After sliding on sweatpants, he went to the kitchen and started coffee. The faerie, looking amazing as always, came in only moments later.

The werewolf looked good in the morning, Jae decided. He took care of his body anyway. Jae admired the muscles down his back and then on his side when he turned. Yunho’s muscles might have been better than his.

Nope. Nothing a werewolf had could ever be better than a faerie. Despite thinking that, Jae still admired the wolf and his obvious dedication to staying healthy.

“So, puppy, how loud does she meow?” he asked as a greeting.

“I don’t care if you insult me,” Yunho said with a growl, “but leave her alone.”

Yunho took his coffee to the living room. There was a manila envelope on the coffee table. He reached for it, but stopped when Jae suddenly straddled his lap. Yunho suppressed the urge to throw him across the room and raised his eyebrows instead.

“You really don’t think I’m beautiful?”

Yunho scoffed. “I never said that. You are, but you’re also vain, arrogant and an utter bastard.”

He grabbed Jae around the middle and tossed him to the other side of the couch.

Jae flopped and then stretched his legs over Yunho’s lap. “Just as long as you admit that I’m beautiful.”

Yunho ripped into the envelope. It was from the company. A letter saying how excited they were to launch this group and how hard he hoped everyone would work. He handed the letter to Jae. There was a training schedule; a lot of activities were planned at dawn and dusk and at night. Fucking vampire.

The next paper made him spit out his coffee all over Jae’s feet.

Jae made a noise of displeasure and waved a hand and the coffee was gone.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“What?” Jae asked and accepted the papers that Yunho threw at him in disgust.

He read two lines and shouted, “What the fuck is this shit?”

Yunho stood up, stalked down the hall and pounded on Yoochun’s door. “Both of you get up and get your asses to the living room right now. We have a problem.”

He was about to pound on Changmin’s door, too when Changmin said. “I’m coming, hyung.”

When Changmin came into the living room, Yunho’s eyes went wide. The young dead man was in a bathrobe, one arm wrapped in a bandage.

“What the hell happened to you?”

“Fangirls,” Changmin whispered and shuddered. He curled up on his chair and looked out the window.

Yunho turned to Jae for an explanation.

Jae laughed. “He had to go out by himself yesterday, and the fangirls cornered him and tore him apart. It was pretty funny.”

“It wouldn’t have been so bad if you hadn’t yelled at me from the window,” Changmin muttered.

Yunho glared at Jae. “So you made it worse? We’re supposed to be a team and help each other.”

“A team? Whatever. You guys aren’t worthy enough to be on my team.”

“From now on, Changmin goes no where alone. You understand, and if I find out that you could have gone with him, but left him to the wolves—”

Changmin shuddered.

“Sorry. Bad use of words.”

“Accurate,” Changmin said. “Scavengers, hunters, sneaky little things.”

“You were threatening me?” Jae said.

“Just take care of him, okay? That’s what we’re supposed to do as his hyungs.”

Jae rolled his eyes. “Whatever, puppy.”

In the bedroom, the elf rolled over. Or tried, there was, quite literally, a deadweight laying half on top of him. He didn’t really care. He placed a kiss on Yoochun’s shoulder and then shoved him away.

Yoochun groaned and mumbled something.

“You okay?” Junsu asked.

“I can’t tell,” he muttered.

“What do you mean?”

“My heart’s racing, I feel like I’m going to throw up, I can barely move and it’s the greatest feeling in the whole world.”

Junsu giggled. “Vampire hangover?”

“You might say that.”

“Well, the best cure for an alcoholic hangover is more alcohol.”

Yoochun opened one eye and stared at him in amazement. “Have I told you you’re crazy?”

“I think you may have mentioned that.”

“What gives, Mr. Creator of Life?”

“Shouldn’t you have asked me that before you dug your fangs into me?”

“Yeah, well, I was a bit distracted last night.”

Junsu smirked. “The first day here, I saw your fangs and just had a passing thought of what it’d feel like and well, the passing thought turned to an obsession.”

“And what does it feel like?” Yoochun touched light finger tips to the two red dots at Junsu’s hip.

Junsu shivered. “Better than I thought.”

“Yo vampire! Elf!” Jaejoong shouted. “Get some fucking clothes on and get out here!”

Yoochun winced.

“Headache?”

“Yeah.”

“Just stay here. I’ll go see what’s up,” Junsu sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. He saw the remains of his pants, vaguely remembered Yoochun tearing them off. “Fucker. That was my favorite pair of jeans.”

“Sorry sorry.” A hand caressed his back.

Junsu stood up before he listened to his body and just stayed in bed. He pulled on a pair of Yoochun’s sweat pants and looked in the mirror. A couple centimeters lower and the bite would have shown.

“Perfect.”

“Don’t you have healing powers?” Yoochun asked.

“Yes, but why would I want to heal it?”

Yoochun laughed, but then groaned and buried his head under a pillow. Junsu left the room, and walked into the living room.

“Where’s Yoochun?” Yunho demanded.

“Recovering,” Junsu replied with a smirk.

Jae made a face. “You’re sick, Junsu-shi.”

“You’re jealous,” Junsu replied.

“Oh … god … ” Jae said. “Images. Bad bad bad.”

“Shut up,” Yunho said. “We have a problem. Read this and then go and get him.”

Junsu read the letter. “Fuck. Close those curtains would you, Jae?”

“But the lighting is perfect.”

“For a vampire barbecue,” Junsu shot back. “Close them.” He went back to the room.

“It’s serious.”

Yoochun sighed and stood up. He swayed, and Junsu settled a hand at his hip. Yoochun’s pants hadn’t come off, but there was blood on them. Probably from curling up with Junsu afterwards. He changed into sweatpants. The hallway was bright, the living room brighter. All the faces that looked at him were grim.

Yunho noted the flush to the usual pale skin. And that scent of sweetness was back. He couldn’t figure it out. Both of them were acting like they’d been thoroughly fucked, but neither smelled like sex. What was that tangy flavor in the air?

Junsu’s tree had grown, branches spreading all through the ceiling. Yoochun moved to the corner where the shadows were darkest.

“What?”

Yunho handed him the papers. There was a lyric sheet and then music for each one of their voices. The title of the song was “We Can Work It Out.”

“What the fuck is this?” Yoochun demanded. “ ‘We’re different, but the same. Teamwork is all we need. We’re like a family’?”

“Our first single,” Yunho said.

“No way,” Yoochun said. “I’m not singing this shit. It sounds like it was written by a delusional incompetent jack ass.”

“So a faerie,” Junsu said.

Jaejoong flicked his fingers at him. It felt like cold water washed over him. Junsu snarled, flicked his fingers and actual cold water drenched Jae.

Jae stood with a cry, arm extended. Little bits of silvery light danced at his finger tips.

“That’s enough!” Yunho shouted. And it reverberated through the room. “Just dry yourself off, Jae. We’re supposed to be a team.”

“Like this?” Yoochun said, brandishing the papers at him. “What kind of crap is this?”

“So seeing past our differences and becoming friends is crap?” Junsu asked.

Yoochun looked at him, and then he sighed.

“Aw, the vampire has feelings,” Jae said. “How cute.”

“Fuck you, you little pixie,” Yoochun said.

Silver sparked at Jae’s fingers again.

Yunho covered Jae’s fingers, yelped a bit when they shocked him, and then glared at Jae.

Jae smirked. “Serves you right.”

“What I’m saying,” Yoochun said, “is that there’s no way we can sing this. Music is based on emotions, not on words written on a page. We could record this, and not one fucking person in the world would believe that we—” He looked at the page and read “—‘sit up at night and share our stories to get to know our new friends.’ It’s bullshit and everyone is going to know it.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be writing our music?” Jae demanded.

“Yeah, and I’m sure they wanted me to come up with some bullshit like this but I can’t. All I can do is write about what Junsu’s blood might taste like, how much I want to rip the werewolf’s throat out, how disgusting Changmin is, and whether or not the pixie likes to top or bottom.”

Again Yunho had to grab Jae’s hand. The stream of light aimed at Yoochun went wide and shattered a picture on the wall.

“Fix it,” Yunho demanded.

Jae pouted but did as he was told. “I wouldn’t have broken the picture if you hadn’t moved my arm.”

“You wouldn’t have barbecued Yoochun.”

A smirk played on his lips again. “So?”

“Jaejoong,” Yunho said and growled a bit.

Jae did not shiver, okay, so maybe he did a little bit. He crossed his arms.

“This is what I’m talking about,” Yoochun said. “The faerie just tried to kill me, and I’m supposed to write something nice about him?”

“No,” Yunho said. “You should write the truth. I’d rather sing that than this shit.”

After a moment of shock, Yoochun asked, “What do you mean?”

“If they want a song about us trying to get along, then we’ll do it our way. Write about what you just said.”

“Make sure you put in the line ‘who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?’” Jae said.

Yunho glared at him. “And that Jae isn’t as perfect at he thinks he is.”

“Little puppy.”

“Bottom pixie.”

Junsu added, “And the vampire wants to suck our blood.”

“Just yours,” Jae said.

Words started flowing through Yoochun’s mind. He turned the papers around and tried to find a pencil. No place to put one when all you’re wearing is sweats.

“Here.” Yunho tossed him a pen.

“I need a pencil,” he said but turned around and started writing, papers against the wall.

Junsu went to his room and grabbed a pencil from the desk. Everything was quiet as Yoochun scribbled.

Junsu suddenly realized that Changmin hadn’t said a word. “You okay, Changmin?”

He jolted at the sudden attention, and then curled in on himself. “Yeah.”

“Liar,” Junsu said. He got up, kneeled by him and put a hand on his arm. Well, on the cloth covering his arm.

“What’s your problem?” Jae demanded. “You’re always so emo. You have fans and admirers. What more do you want?”

Junsu shot him a look, and then looked back at Changmin. “Tell me.”

“You’ll laugh.”

“No, I won’t.”

“He’ll laugh.”

“Well, you’re not telling him, you’re telling me.”

Changmin looked away, but in the quietest voice said, “You guys don’t really want me here.”

“None of us want to be here,” Jae said quickly.

“I do,” Yunho said.

Even Yoochun looked over at him in surprise.

“This was the only chance I had to keep dancing and singing. If it wasn’t for this group, they were going to kick me out of SM.”

“But I’m disgusting,” Changmin whined.

“You’re a zombie. Comes with the calling.”

“And we all have disgusting-ness,” Junsu added.

“Speak for yourself,” Jae muttered.

“Trust me, pixie,” Yunho said. “Your arrogance is disgusting.”

“What about you, Junsu?” Changmin asked.

“His fascination with vampires,” Jae muttered.

Junsu flipped him off, tossing a bunch of soil with the motion. It hit Jae in the face and he coughed.

“Next time it will be fertilizer,” Junsu said.

“Fertilizer?” Changmin said.

“Can I tell you an elf secret, Changmin?” Junsu said, fully aware that they were all listening. “Yoochun needs blood to survive, right? You need meat and food constantly. I think Jae would die if he didn’t get at least ten compliments at day. And Yunho has to go furry once a month and hunt. Me? Well, I went to the preserve last night and had a fertilizer bath.”

Yoochun’s pencil clattered to the floor.

“Not so tasty now, is he, Fangs?” Jae asked between laughter.

Junsu didn’t look away from Changmin. “It’s what I need to be able to do my magic. It comes from being a creature of nature. Things grow better with natural fertilizer. I don’t need to do it often though, but once or twice a month I voluntarily climb into a tub full of shit and soak for hours.”

“That is pretty gross,” Changmin said with a smile.

“You were put in this group for a reason,” Junsu said, “and I’ve heard you sing. You’re really good.”

“Done,” Yoochun said and crossed the room. “Yunho call SM, tell them we want a meeting tonight after dark to discuss this. I’m going to go write some music for this. Polish it up.”

Junsu watched him, stared a bit too long at how those sweats just barely covered his ass. Thought just a bit too long about the bite at his hip that stung whenever the cloth rubbed against it.

“Junsu,” Yunho said.

Junsu looked over at him.

“As the leader, I think I should know if you two are doing anything illegal.”

Junsu kept his face blank. “I didn’t realize that being attracted to men was a crime.”

Yunho sighed. “Just don’t get caught, alright?”


	6. He’s our leader. He speaks for us.

“What the hell is this?”

Yunho smirked. “Our first single.”

The manager’s eyes went wide. “Are you kidding? We can’t release this.”

“We refuse to sing the one provided for us. We refuse to be made into liars just because you humans think that everyone can get along.”

“And the rest of you?” the manager said. “What do you think?”

Yunho held his breath. He stood in front of the desk and looked behind him. The four exchanged glances.

It was Yoochun who met his eyes and said, “He’s our leader. He speaks for us.”

Yunho’s chest tightened for a moment and then he turned back to the manager. “We sing our song. Or we don’t show up tomorrow.”

“You wrote this?” the manager said, addressing Yoochun.

“Yes, sir.”

“When?”

“This afternoon after I saw that monstrosity that someone up here tried to pass off as a song. Let’s just say I had a necessary burst of creativity.”

Jae snickered. “We’re a loving family. Bull shit. I almost hit Yoochun with a stream of light, and I tried to throw lightning at Junsu today.”

“Which would have been really smart considering you were soaked in water,” Junsu retorted.

“It would have taken you out first, squirrel lover.”

Junsu flicked a finger and a single stream of mud landed on Jae’s white shirt.

“Why you—”

“Jaejoong,” Yunho said in his rumbling voice. “Junsu, knock it off.”

Jae didn’t care if his forehead was furrowed in anger and causing wrinkles. He cleaned his shirt, and then stared bloody murder at Junsu.

“That’s really all we came to say,” Yunho said. “We’ll work hard on it tonight, finalize who sings what part and then tomorrow, we’ll start recording.”

“They can’t all be like this,” he said weakly.

“They won’t be,” Yoochun said. “I have a whole stack that are normal songs. You want me to write an entire CD about how we get along and we’re a happy little family? No one would buy it. And no one would believe it.”

“We’re through here,” Yunho said and turned. Junsu opened the door. Yunho smiled at Changmin, and then his grin turned feral. “Hang on, guys.”

They stopped.

“One more thing,” Yunho said, turning that grin to the manager. The manager actually slid his chair back an inch. “We need more food or more money to buy more food. You guys have Changmin listed for what a normal twenty-one-year old would eat. He’s a fucking zombie. He eats ten times a day. He runs out of food and that makes his skin weak, and it makes him weak. He wouldn’t be having so many problems with his skin sloughing off if he was being fed decently. We can’t afford to lose him. Get him more food. Or give us more money.”

“I’ll make a note of that.”

“You’ll call about it right now, and if I check the team account tomorrow morning and there’s not a substantial difference, then we won’t show up to do recordings.”

“You really have no place to make demands like this.”

“Well, all five of us want to walk out that door and forget about the last week. You’re the one that wants to make money. You think we’ll make you money. So you decide?”

The manager took a deep breath. “I’ll call them right now.”

Yunho smiled, flashing full canines at him, before turning. “Now we can go.” He slung an arm around Changmin, carefully of course. He hadn’t quite recovered from the fangirls … excitement.

Junsu led the way to the elevator. It wasn’t until half way down that Yunho turned to Yoochun and said, “Thanks for backing me up.”

“It’s what I’m supposed to do, right?”

“Is that the only reason why you did it?”

Yoochun thought about it for a moment. Yunho really was a great leader. Before he moved in, Junsu and Jae could barely be in the same room without throwing magic at each other.

“No,” he finally said. “You’re a good leader.”

“The leader of the pack,” Jae sang, the chorus from one of the first Werewolves hit songs.

Yunho laughed. “I hate that song.”

“So do faeries. You werewolves are too hairy.” Jae looked Yunho up and down and remembered that morning in the kitchen. “Well, except you, Mr. Almost Perfect Body.”

“That sounded like a compliment,” Yunho said, “but why only ‘almost perfect’?”

“Because you’re not a faerie.”

“Right.”

They left the building and headed back to the apartment. Half way there, Changmin said, “Hyung, I’m hungry.”

“We’ll go to dinner,” Yunho said immediately.

“We need to practice,” Yoochun reminded him. “We haven’t sung this together yet.”

“And Changmin is going to be worthless unless he eats.”

Jae opened his mouth, but Yunho pointed a stern finger at him and said, “Don’t you dare say that Changmin is worthless. No more barbs from you tonight, alright?”

Jae made a face at him, but otherwise stayed quiet.

Yunho and Changmin led the way and Junsu realized that Yunho had his arm around the young man this entire time. Junsu didn’t think he could do that with Changmin yet. The kid was nice, but so quiet. Jae walked in front of him and Yoochun. The city lights turned his wings into a rainbow of colors.

More than one person or creature stopped and stared in awe at their little ragtag group.

“I really like the song you wrote,” Junsu said. He wasn’t nervous around Yoochun now, not at all. Well, not a lot, but it wasn’t like Yoochun had been ignoring him all day. He was writing music, and Junsu hadn’t wanted to bother him.

They walked close, shoulders just barely not brushing. Yoochun looked ahead. Well, if Yunho could get away with it …

He put his arm around Junsu’s shoulder and pulled him close. “Thanks,” he said, and then shivered when the elf’s arm circled his waist.

They ate dinner at a small restaurant just a block from their apartment. Conversation was light, but not strained. Even Jae managed to smile and joke around with Changmin without being condescending.

When they arrived back, Yunho said, “Let’s just go through it a couple times. I know I’m pretty tired.”

“Yeah, I’m exhausted,” Yoochun said.

“Junsu keep you up all night?” Jae said, but surprisingly without the disdain. He certainly didn’t mean to make it so friendly, but then decided he didn’t care. Especially when Junsu giggled and Yoochun actually blushed.

“Let me go get my keyboard,” Yoochun said and left the room.

Jae turned to Junsu and said, “He’s cute, for a vampire.”

“You’re ugly, for a faerie,” Junsu replied.

“You’re jealous.”

Junsu scoffed, but before he could say anything, Yunho growled again, and Junsu just turned away.

Yoochun returned. “First, I want to play this for you guys so you know what it sounds like all the way through, though I’ll skip the rapping for now.”

Changmin sat in his chair. Junsu sat in the other. Yunho and Jae sat on the couch, once again with Jae’s feet up in Yunho’s lap.

Yoochun played the song through, and then did it again, this time singing the words he’d written. Over the next few hours, the five of them practiced, changed words, and orders of singing, until Changmin broke off during his solo to yawn.

It was one am.

“Shit,” Yunho said. “We should have been in bed hours ago.”

“It’s alright, hyung,” Changmin said. “I like to sing, and we sound good.”

They all exchanged glances and they all thought the same thing. Changmin was right. They sounded good. Silence fell and it was the first time not one of them felt animosity, irritation or disdain.

“Well,” Yunho said. He moved Jae’s legs and stood up. “Let’s get to bed. We need to get to the studio before the sun rises.”

“That would be nice.”

“No fried Yoochun for breakfast tomorrow,” Jae said with a pout.

“I thought you didn’t eat meat,” Yoochun said.

“Nope. Besides, I think Junsu’s the only one who could, um, swallow what you’re made of.”

Yoochun made a noise.

Junsu flicked his fingers at Jae. A garland of flowers landed on his head. “A crown to the king of the worst blow job joke ever.”

“Well, I’m right,” Jae said, conjuring up a mirror and looking at himself with the flowers on his head.

Junsu and Yoochun’s eyes met. Junsu smiled. Yoochun shivered, and then looked away.

“Why burgundy flowers, Su?” Jae asked. “They’re too dark for my skin tone.”

Junsu scoffed and with another flick of fingers, the flowers turned pale yellow. “Better?”

Jae grinned. “Yes. Now they’re almost as pretty as I am. Then again, they are tainted because you made them and—”

“Jae,” Yunho said in warning.

Jae shot him an innocent look and smiled.

Yunho shook his head.

During bedtime preparations, Yoochun found himself alone in the bathroom with Yunho.

Yunho cleared his throat and said, “I’m looking the other way, but if you’re going to be doing this, you better make it look like you’re still drinking animal blood.”

Yoochun gaped at him. “How—”

“Neither one of you smelled like sex this morning, and then it took me a minute to realize that sweet smell that wasn’t quite blood was Junsu. Jae just thinks you’re doing it, but I noticed, Yoochun. You didn’t have a single jar of blood today. Usually if you miss even one, you turn into a blood fiend.”

Yoochun winced. “Forgot about that.”

“Yeah. You two do what you want, but as soon as I walk out that door, I don’t know, and we didn’t have this conversation.”

“Sounds good.”

Yunho headed to the door. And then said, “By the way, the song is really, really good.”

Yoochun was a bit nervous when he came into his room and Junsu was there. On his bed. Legs partially spread.

Junsu smiled. “You know,” he said, while running a finger over his hip, “everything in the world should be balanced.”

“Really?”

Junsu nodded, eyes wide with fake innocence. “One of the first lessons an elf learns is about the balance in life. The symmetric sides of life and death. We crave this balance.”

Yoochun kneeled on the bed next to Junsu. “So what you’re saying is that everything should be symmetric?”

“Pretty much.”

Yoochun’s finger traced along Junsu’s hip. Junsu shifted a bit and slid the sweatpants off his lower body. Yoochun swallowed, forced his eyes and hands to stay on Junsu’s hip and not stray to other parts of his anatomy. Last night had been a desperate need for both of them, but Yoochun wanted more. He wanted to taste Junsu’s skin and feel Junsu’s muscles quiver under his hands. But what if Junsu didn’t want that? Their deal was simple. He got blood, Junsu got fangs.

Yoochun sighed and before Junsu could question its purpose, Yoochun lowered his mouth and bit Junsu’s hip.

Junsu arched up with a cry, hands grabbing Yoochun’s hair.

Yoochun had to shut his eyes. God, Junsu’s blood was amazing. He took a tiny bit more than he had the night before, but this time he was expecting the aftermath. He managed to get on the bed and lay reasonably straight before the swirling world tossed him into unconsciousness.

Junsu sighed. He slipped his sweatpants back on, curled up next to Yoochun and tugged a blanket over him. One day, one day, he’d convince Yoochun to give him a bit more.

**Lyrics to _I'm Better than You_ by Vampire!Yoochun **

Yoochun: what do you get when you cross us all  
You get what we’ve got, don’t believe it all  
The hype is just hype and we don’t get along  
What do you expect, crossing species is wrong!

Junsu: He’ll bite you, he’ll suck you, he’ll hunt you, don’t touch him  
He’ll eat you, he’ll take you, he’ll chase you, don’t touch him  
All but Su: What about you?  
Junsu: Me? I’m an elf. I’m better than you.

All: Aw, whatever, nature freak.

Jae: I’m surrounded by ugly  
And I share air with an elf  
Changmin: shut it, you fairy  
You’re so full of yourself  
Yunho: How do you lead people  
That mean nothing to you?  
Yoochun: you don’t, crazy werewolf  
Cause we won’t listen to you

[English] All but Yunho: Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Not me!

Yoochun: He’ll bite you, he’ll drown you, he’ll hunt you, don’t touch him  
He’ll eat you, he’ll bury you, he’ll chase you, don’t touch him  
All: What about you?  
Yoochun: Me? I’m a vampire. I’m better than you.

All: Aw, whatever, bloodsucker.

Changmin: They’ve lost it up there  
Office workers gone craaaay-zy  
Making us share space with a  
[English and with no space between]  
Jae: Wolf  
Yoochun: Zombie  
Yunho: Elf  
Junsu: Vamp  
Changmin: Faerie

Yunho: Being alone is much better than this  
Cramped together, wrecking my style.  
What were they thinking  
I can’t be nice to a vampire

[English] All but Yoochun: I want to suck your blood! (followed by laughter)

Yunho: He’ll bite you, he’ll suck you, he’ll drown you, don’t touch him  
He’ll eat you, he’ll take you, he’ll bury you, don’t touch him  
All: What about you?  
Yunho: Me? I’m a werewolf. I’m better than you.

[English] Rap Yoochun: what do you get when you cross us all  
You get what we’ve got, don’t believe it all  
The hype is just hype and we don’t get along  
What do you expect, crossing species is wrong!

Changmin: He’ll drown you, he’ll suck you, he’ll hunt you, don’t touch him  
He’ll bury you, he’ll take you, he’ll chase you, don’t touch him  
All: What about you?  
Changmin: Me? I’m a zombie. I’m better than you.

Jae: You’re all just crazy, you know that right?  
You’ll never be better than this creature of light.

All but Jae: Careful! You might break a nail!

All: So far nobody’s dead and it’s been more than a day  
The future looks good, if you can think that way.

Changmin: I’ll bite you  
Yoochun: I’ll suck you  
Yunho: I’ll hunt you  
Junsu: I’ll drown you.  
(Pause)  
Jae: Don’t touch me. (arrogant sniff)


	7. I thought it was illegal for you people to eat off humans.

Tsuki double checked the address on the piece of paper. She had to manipulate way too many human minds just to get it, but as she stared up at the tall apartment building, she knew it was going to be worth it.

Anything was worth seeing Yoochun again. The vampire had hidden himself well. No vamp but herself would have thought to look through the entertainment listings for him.

One more human.

The door was locked. Damn it. The security guard looked up. She smiled sweetly, sent a wave of ‘it’s really okay to open the door for me’ at him, and waited as he walked across the hall.

“Hello,” she said. “I’m Park Tsuki. My brother is Park Yoochun. I’m here to visit him.”

Of course the security guard didn’t believe her, but she pulled out a picture of the two of them.

“I thought vampires didn’t show up in pictures.”

“Not on human film. Vampires have developed their own.”

“I better call him.”

“Oh, but I wanted it to be a surprise.” She batted eyelashes at him, and sent him more manipulative waves.

“Oh, alright. He’s in apartment five on the top floor.”

Tsuki said thanks and went to the elevator. So close, so close to finally getting what she wanted.

The doors slid open. She moved quietly to door five and then sniffed the air in the apartment. She recoiled immediately. Werewolf? He was living with a werewolf. Her lips curled over her fangs as they lengthened. And faerie? What the hell?

And then she smelled him.

v-v

“I am so excited to start recording today,” Junsu said, practically bouncing everywhere.

“Did someone give the elf coffee again?” Jae demanded.

“Oh, shut up,” Junsu said. “You’re excited, too.”

“Yes, but dignified and—”

“Ugly.”

Jae scowled. “Yoochun, you better corral him or you’ll be licking his blood from the walls.”

Yoochun shook his head, but took Junsu’s hand and pulled him away from Jae. “Yes, Junsu, we’re all excited.”

Junsu stuck his tongue out at Jaejoong and then sat in Yoochun’s lap. Yoochun stiffened. Junsu met his eyes, a challenge in them. Yoochun swallowed and then slowly put his hands around Junsu’s waist.

“God, you two are such girls,” Yunho said from behind them.

Yoochun opened his mouth to retort, and then stopped. “Oh, fuck,” he said, staring at the door.

“What?” Yunho asked.

“You can’t smell her, at the door.”

Yunho sniffed and growled. Vampire.

“Who is it, Chunnie?” Junsu asked.

“Tsuki,” he muttered. “We used—”

The door flew in and in the next three seconds, Yoochun had tossed Junsu safely to the other couch, a female vampire tackled him to the floor and there was a stake pointed over his heart.

He took a deep breath, smiled and said, “Long time no see, Tsuki. How have you been?”

“Give me one reason why not.”

“How about six?” Jae said behind her. “Silver bullets, right through the brain. The first one would kill you before you even thought about it.”

“Hiring filth for protection?” Tsuki snarled. Her fangs still hadn’t retracted.

“Actually he’s my friend.”

Jae started. _Friend? No, he was just saying that._ Jae shook his head.

“So’s the werewolf whose claws are about six inches from your throat, and the elf who’s about ready to fill your lungs with water.”

Tsuki contemplated it. The others always said if you didn’t kill right away, then you didn’t really want to. She pulled the stake away from him, and sat back, straddling his lower half. Her eyes shut when his hands settle on her hips, but in the next moment, she flew through the air and crashed into a side table. She watched Yoochun rise slowly.

“Would you care to explain why you’re here?”

“Not how I found you?”

Yoochun smirked. “You persuaded people with your mind for information and when that didn’t work, with your body. What do you want?”

“I want you to come home.”

“No thanks. I have someplace to be right now—”

“The clan wants you back.”

Yoochun kept his face firm, but Junsu saw the uncertainty in his eyes.

“We’re not complete without you.”

“And it wasn’t my decision to tell me to go, now was it? As far as I’m concerned, the clan can fuck itself.”

“But they’re killing each other. You’re our lead—”

Yoochun growled, baring his fangs at her. “I haven’t been for more than twenty years, and I don’t plan on going back.”

“We’re falling apart.”

“Not my problem.”

“But Chunnie—“

He was across the room faster than she could react. A hand at her throat. He held her off the floor. “Don’t call me that. Ever. You lost that privilege a long time ago. Like I said before, I have somewhere to be right now. If I see you, or any other former clan member anywhere near this building again, consider yourself dead.”

He dropped her. “Now get out.”

She stood slowly, looked around the ragtag group of creatures and then hissed. “I’ll tell them about the company you keep and they’ll change their minds anyway.” She stalked from the room, determined to get Yoochun back. If not into her life, at least into her bed.

The other four stared at Yoochun while he looked at the floor, gasping, fangs still out, rubbing on his bottom lip. Junsu stepped forward, to hold him, but he held up a hand.

“Not right now. I might hurt you. Just give me a minute.”

Junsu frowned, but listened and stayed away. Even with the tense energy in the room, when Yoochun licked one of his fangs, Junsu shivered.

“God,” Jae said. “Pissed off vampire is turning you on, isn’t it?”

Yoochun’s head shot up and he met Junsu’s eyes.

Junsu grinned and said, “Maybe.”

“Pissed off vampire wants to tear someone’s throat out,” Yoochun said. “Any volunteers?”

“Sure. Mine will just grow back, hyung,” Changmin said.

Yoochun stared at him for a split second and then laughed. “If we didn’t have to sing in about a half hour, I’d probably take you up on that.”

“Come on,” Yunho said and started gathering stuff. “Sun’s rising soon.”

Junsu finally moved in next to Yoochun and hugged him. He wanted to ask, needed to know about the sudden appearance of this girl from Yoochun’s past, but he knew Yoochun would tell him if it was important.

Yoochun pulled back from the embrace. “Let’s go sing.”

The sky was gray. Yoochun’s blood (well, Junsu’s blood, but the blood in Yoochun’s system) beat faster. He headed for the car parked at the curb and then stopped. Junsu ran into him, and then Changmin ran into them. Yoochun’s fangs extended again as he sniffed the air.

“What is it?” Yunho asked.

“You can’t smell it?”

Yunho sniffed, turning with motion. He bared his teeth and growled.

“What is it?” Jae asked.

“Blood. Human blood,” Yoochun said. He scanned the area again, and then again. On the third pass he saw it.

“There,” he said, pointing, and led the way across the courtyard. The closer they came to the strange bundled on the ground, the more Yoochun was sure it was a human.

“She’s not dead,” Yunho said.

Junsu dropped next to her, pulled the dark blanket from her face.

“Sahar,” Changmin said, and he had to put a hand on Jae’s shoulder to stay upright. Jae sort of cringed, but didn’t say anything.

“Who is she?” Yunho asked.

“One of my biggest fans.”

Junsu turned her face and on her neck were two familiar looking bloody pinpricks.

“Tsuki,” Yoochun muttered.

“I thought it was illegal for you people to eat off humans,” Jae said.

“We’re not allowed to eat off anything alive,” Yoochun replied, “and if Tsuki is this daring, it either means that she’s gone completely insane, or her clan leader really has no control over any of them.”

“Or both,” Jae said.

Junsu filled his fingers with healing and lightly touched the girl’s neck. She wouldn’t die, but she’s lost too much blood. “We’ve got to get her upstairs.”

“Not at our place,” Jae said and received sharp looks from them all. He smirked. “Not like that. It’s just what if psycho, crazy Yoochun ex-girlfriend comes back?”

“Good point,” Yunho said.

“Go get Sylver,” Changmin said suddenly.

“Who?”

“The fanboy,” Jae said. “What apartment is he in?”

“Number eight on the third floor.”

“Wait, why are you going?” Junsu said. “I can move lighter than you.”

“Really?” Jae said, and then suddenly disappeared.

He reappeared to four very shocked faces. “It’s kinda like being a chameleon. But instead of matching my surroundings, I match the light. I can’t fly like that though, really sucks.”

“So how often are you in a room and we don’t realize you’re in a room?” Yunho asked, eyes narrowed.

“Why would I waste my time spying on you guys?” Jae said. “I want people to look at me.”

Yunho rolled his eyes.

Jae gave him a mock salute and went back inside. He flew to the third floor and stopped at door eight. He sent a spark of energy into the security system around the door. It would reinstate itself once he was out of the house. He listened, sniffed and felt the light inside to make sure no one was awake yet. He clicked open the lock, disillusioned himself and slid inside the sparsely furnished house. He went room to room, finally finding the boy’s at the end of the hall. He reappeared and approached the bed. Touching the kid was out of the question, so he did what he had done to Junsu and flicked that cold feeling of water at him.

Sylver sat up, gasping and then as he become aware of someone else in his room, his eyes grew wide.

“Jaejoong?” he whispered.

Jae smiled. “You know me? And here I thought you were Changmin’s fan.”

“I am, I mean, I like him and everything, but your voice is pretty.”

“Just my voice?”

Sylver rolled his eyes. “Changmin’s right. You certainly need to be complimented all the time.”

“Stupid zombie,” Jae muttered. “Look, one of your human friends, Sahver or something—”

“Sahar.”

“Yeah, her. She was attacked by a vampire last night. We found her out in the courtyard.”

Sylver’s eyes went wide. “She’s not dead?”

“No, we think the vamp that did it wanted us to find her. We can’t risk leaving her up at our apartment and Changmin said to have you watch her.”

Sylver winced. “Yeah, that’s okay. You guys are lucky today is Saturday and my mom doesn’t wake me up on Saturdays. But my parents are going to kill me if they find a girl in my room.”


	8. A bit hypocritical, aren’t you, Jae?

Yunho slipped his arm around Athena’s shoulders and pulled her closer to him along the bench. She giggled and made a terrible effort at extracting herself. With his other hand, he took hers, brought it to his lips and kissed her fingers. She purred.

“Are you ready to go yet?” he asked, voice a low growl.

“Does it look like I am?” She took a slow deliberate bite of the ice cream they were sharing for dessert, and then another, leaving the spoon in her mouth longer than necessary. He leaned in, nuzzled her neck. Yeah, she still smelled like cat, but it was getting to be tolerable. He’d learned the first night that she smell liked other things too. Like incense and woods and flowers and a spicy scent that he couldn’t place until she giggled and said it was probably the catnip.

He ran one hand through her multicolored hair and the other up her thigh. He whispered what he wanted her to do to him. The spoon clattered to the table top.

“Okay. I’m done now,” Athena said, slightly breathless.

Yunho stood and then helped her up. He held her jacket open while she slipped it on. He paid for the food. The lady at the counter gave him an odd look, almost like she knew he was a werewolf, but she didn’t say anything. He liked human restaurants, and this was one of his favorites, so he did his best not to let his “creature-ness” slip. Although, flirting with Athena usually gave his eyes a strange glow.

“Your place or mine?” she asked.

“Really?” he said. “After that mess with your psycho roommate? You’re the only one that’s allowed to hiss at me and use claws.”

She laughed. “Okay, but what about your roommates? All those creatures in one place; it can’t be easy.”

“It isn’t, but we’re starting to get along.”

Yunho thought back to their recording session that morning, and the spells Junsu and Jae tossed at each other while he went to the bathroom. “Sort of,” he amended.

Management had been none too pleased with them, and made the rooms hot and ill lit and Yunho being Yunho, just told everyone to deal with it, get the song recorded and then they’d bitch about it after resting for the day.

He should have known better than to leave them alone.

Junsu says Jae started it.

Jae says Junsu did.

Yoochun didn’t say anything when Yunho asked him who started it, but his eyes flicked to Junsu and his lip quirked. Something about changing Jae’s line “You’ll never be better than this creature of light,” to “I let zombies fuck me all through the night.” Which had caused not only Jae to get indignant, but Changmin as well. Insults were thrown, and Yoochun just sat back and smiled. Magic was sizzling in the room; with various nature and energy spells, they ruined three amps and all five microphones. Yunho came back just as Junsu grabbed a chunk of Changmin’s arm and tossed it at Jae, who had turned to see who was coming in the door. It slapped into Jae’s hair and then all hell would have broken loose, but Yoochun grabbed Junsu and pinned his arms against the far wall, and Yunho did the same to Jae, pulling the faerie’s arms behind his back with one arm and holding him against his body with the other.

Yunho shivered as he remembered the energy rippling off Jae.

Management came in demanding to know what the fuck was going on and Yunho had said, as nonchalantly as he could, “Creature war. We have one of these at least every three hours.”

Yunho sighed.

“What’s wrong?” Athena asked.

“No one is really talking to the other right now,” Yunho said, and then waved off her question. “It’s not a big deal; we’ll get over it. And we’re just going in and going right to my bed, right?”

“What about Junsu?” But she smiled.

Yunho smirked. “I have a feeling he’ll be preoccupied elsewhere.”

He took her hand, and they walked along the streets. Yunho sighed. Three years ago he couldn’t have done this. Too many people knew who he was and loved the Werewolves. He wondered if this group would have that kind of popularity.

About a block from his building, a wind blew from behind them, gusting their hair and jackets. Yunho stopped walking. His lip curled and he snarled as he looked around.

“Oppa? What is it?”

“Vampire,” he whispered. He couldn’t place the smell now that the wind was in front of them. He sped up, Athena easily keeping pace.

He didn’t breathe easy until they were in his apartment. Jae looked up from the couch and made a face at him. A human girl was wrapped around him. A different one from the Kelly he’d met before.

Before he could ask who it was, Jae jumped off the couch and said, “Puppy, your sense of smell is good.” Jae flung his long hair into Yunho’s face. “Do I still smell like zombie?”

“I said you did—”

Jae held up a hand, and the human fell silent.

Yunho smelled Jae’s hair. Yeah, it stilled smelled like zombie, but it was faint. “No, it smells like that fruity crap you use in it.”

“Are you sure?” Jae demanded as he stepped closer. He took a hand full of it and held it up to Yunho’s face. Jae’s hip brushed against his, and a little thrill went up him. He felt an answering tingle in the light around Yunho’s body.

He met Yunho’s eyes. Yunho visibly swallowed.

Jae smirked. “What about this section?” he asked, and flipped his hair around. He lengthened it a bit as it settled, forming a curtain between him and the cat. Jae just barely touched their cheeks together.

That little thrill increased and then Yunho pushed Jae away, breath gasping. What the fuck was that?

“Well?” Jae demanded.

“Yes, I’m sure, Mr. Vanity. Why not just use your magic to clean it?”

“I tried, but it’s fucking zombie goo. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get zombie smell out of anything? Why do you think I don’t like touching them? Or any other creature for that matter.”

You don’t mind touching me, Yunho wanted to point out, but instead said, “It smells fine.”

“Why am I even trusting you? You’re probably being nice just because I’m pretty.” He huffed and sat back on the couch. The human curled around him.

Yunho shook his head, trying to clear the feel of Jae’s energy from his skin. “So, who’s she?”

“This is Lauren.”

“I thought—”

“She’s my human companion,” Jae said, and raised a single eyebrow.

Yunho wondered how many there were. “Where’s Yoochun?”

“Probably fucking that bastard elf in his room.”

Yunho laughed.

Jae’s eyes narrowed, the smile gone from his lips. “Shut up, dog.”

“I just wish there had been a camera in that room when that zombie flesh landed in your hair. The look on your face was priceless.”

Athena choked back a laugh.

“Go lick yourself, kitty,” Jae said.

Yunho growled.

“And fuck you, too, puppy. You don’t scare me.” Jae’s phone suddenly rang and he answered it. “Thank god, Heechul, I’m having a crisis. You need to get over here right now. … I don’t care what Traci is doing to you. I’m having a major hair emergency and I need you here right now.” He hung up, and then looked up at them. “What are you two still doing in here? Go have nasty, cross-species sex.”

“A bit hypocritical, aren’t you, Jae?” Yunho asked and looked pointedly at Lauren who was in the process of running hands over Jae’s body.

“Humans are better than animals.”

Yunho shut his eyes. Nothing, nothing, nothing good would happen if he continued this fight. He knew Jae was upset from earlier, and he also knew that none of this anger was directed at him. He took Athena’s hand and pulled her down the hall. He stopped at Yoochun’s door and sniffed. Everything smelled normal.

Yunho knocked and then entered when Yoochun said he could. Yoochun was playing his keyboard. Junsu was lounging on the bed, eyes shut, fingers swaying to the music.

“I smelled vampire on my way home,” he said.

Yoochun swiveled around to look at him.

“It was about a block away. The wind shifted for a just a moment.”

“Male or female?”

Yunho shrugged. “I didn’t know there was a difference.”

“Female,” Athena said.

“How do you know?”

“I have some vampire friends,” she said with a grin.

Yoochun shook his head. “Damn Tsuki. I guess I’m spending the night up on the roof.”

“Why?”

“I’m not going to let them surprise me like Tsuki did. And I’m definitely not going to endanger you guys. When a clan is leaderless and chaotic, people die. All people. All creatures.”

“How is Sahar?”

“Jae went down to check on her, and she’s recovering. Sylver’s a right mess though, worried about his mom going into his room and stuff, but Jae says he’s taking care of her.”

“Good. Now, if you two will excuse us. I’m going to go remind Athena why dogs are better than cats.”

Yoochun rolled his eyes at them as they left. He looked over at his keyboard and the half finished melody to a song and sighed. He really wanted to write tonight. Junsu stood and rubbed his shoulders.

“So who is she?”

Yoochun shrugged. “Ex-lover. Do you need to know more than that?”

“No. Just curious.”

After a few moments, Yoochun stilled his hands.

Junsu swiveled the chair around, and sat in Yoochun’s lap. “I had plans for you tonight,” he said, running his hands up Yoochun’s sides. Yoochun shivered. “Rain check?”

Yoochun swallowed and nodded.

“Just one condition though,” Junsu whispered and leaned a bit closer.

“Huh?”

“Kiss me.”

Yoochun froze.

After a moment, Junsu smiled and said, “Afraid you’ll get an elf disease?”

“Of course not, it’s just … I thought … ”

“All I wanted was your fangs?”

Yoochun looked away.

“Maybe at first, but you’re incredibly sensitive, caring and gorgeous.” He smirked. “For a vampire.”

“And you’re incredibly masochistic for an elf.”

Junsu giggled. Yoochun wrapped his arms around Junsu’s waist, pulled him closer. Junsu leaned down with the movement and their lips met and they both shuddered. Junsu arched into him, trying to get closer without breaking the kiss. Yoochun was trying to think. Trying, but failing, only feeling those soft lips against his, hands running through his hair and a body pressed close.

Junsu pulled away with another giggle.

“What?” Yoochun asked.

“Look in the mirror.”

Yoochun laughed. It looked like Junsu was straddling and kissing nothing.

“I wonder what I’ll look like in that mirror when you’re fucking me.”

Yoochun choked on nothing, but it made Junsu laugh. “Silly vampire,” he said and went back to his lips.

Junsu’s blood was racing, a bit of adrenaline and arousal flavored his usual scent. That, added to the very, very tempting idea of bending Junsu over the bed, was enough to make Yoochun’s fangs ache. They extended, and Yoochun pushed Junsu away.

“Aw, that’s the best part,” Junsu whined.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Junsu leaned in close and flicked his tongue on Yoochun’s lip. He gasped, and Junsu took advantage of the open mouth to lick one fang and then the other. Yeah, they were sharp. He had two fantastic bruises on his hips to prove that, but if he was careful, he’d be alright.

Yoochun finally joined the kiss, but resisted the urge to speed it up. And only partly because he didn’t want to accidentally nick him. If he sped the kiss up, he wouldn’t be leaving this room for a long time and he had to go patrol.

With a final lick on one fang, Junsu finally pulled away. “There’s animal sex going on in my room, so I hope you don’t mind if I sleep here tonight.”

“Of course not.”

“Good.” Junsu stood up. “Now go be a bad ass vampire.”


	9. You’re incredibly sensitive for a vampire.

A couple hours before dawn, Yoochun opened the door to his room. He smiled at Junsu’s sleeping body. He was on his stomach on top of the covers. He wore only sweats. The muscles in his back rose and fell with each breath. Yoochun slipped out of his shoes and pulled his shirt over his head.

He crawled into bed. Junsu shifted and then woke up enough to smile at him. Yoochun kissed his cheek.

“You okay?” Junsu asked.

“Yeah. No vampires around for the moment.”

“’Cept you. But you’re a good one, so it’s okay.” Junsu arched up, pressing his back against Yoochun’s chest. Yoochun shivered. He wrapped an arm around Junsu’s middle and kissed his neck.

“Bite me,” Junsu breathed.

“But—”

“I’ll heal it.”

Yoochun only hesitated for another moment. He sat back, lifting Junsu with him, so they both ended up kneeling with Junsu’s body still pressed against his. And then, against his better judgment, he sank his fangs into the elf’s neck.

Fresh, rich blood poured down his throat.

“Oh, fuck, Chunnie.” Junsu’s hands went above his head, wrapping around his neck as he thrust back against Yoochun’s body.

Yoochun moaned. One arm across Junsu’s chest held him up, but his other arm lay across the elf’s hips. Every thrust from Junsu slid his cock along Yoochun’s arm.

“Touch me, Yoochun,” he whispered, voice weak, breathy. “Please.”

Yoochun pulled his fangs away from Junsu’s neck, his own breath gasping. Junsu whimpered, trying to rock against him again. He moved his arms, and then tried to push down his sweats.

Yoochun tightened his hold. “Su?”

“What?” he whimpered.

“I can’t—”

“God, Chunnie, don’t say that. I want you, please, just … please.” He continued his thrusting, turning his head. He tried to kiss Yoochun, but Yoochun turned his face away.

Junsu whimpered in frustration. He continued rocking against Yoochun’s body and then slid a hand into his sweats, pumping his own cock. His head fell back on Yoochun’s shoulder.

Yoochun watched, without breathing, as the head of Junsu’s cock glistened. And then he couldn’t watch anymore, shutting his eyes as the feelings of Junsu sliding against him were too much. He growled, frustrated because god, he wanted Junsu so badly but he wanted more than blood, more than sex, more than bodies pressing together.

“How old are you, Junsu?” Yoochun pushed a hand between their bodies to undo his jeans. A small shift and he hand them pushed down enough to free his erection. They both moaned as Junsu settled back, Yoochun’s cock pressed between his ass cheeks. Yoochun shifted, sliding it over his skin.

“How old are you? In human years?”

Junsu stopped the movement of his hand. Yoochun kissed his neck, hand sliding under the sweats. He gripped Junsu’s cock, warm, almost hot, to his cold skin. Junsu moaned as Yoochun started stroking in time with the slow thrusts against Junsu’s ass.

“Answer me, please.”

Junsu gasped. “Forty-three.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

“Just once.”

Yoochun continued to lay kisses along Junsu’s neck and shoulders. “Love is a fickle matter.”

Pleasure coiled through Yoochun’s body and he sped up both his hands and body. Junsu’s arms wrapped around his neck again, and this time, when he leaned back for a kiss, Yoochun didn’t deny him. Their lips pressed together, tongues slipping shallow, quick, matching breaths, movements speeding.

Junsu’s mind was fogging, racing through thoughts of pleasure and love and why did Yoochun ask that now? But he couldn’t think past the feel of the cold skin working his cock, the hardness sliding over his ass. But it wasn’t enough. He pulled away from Yoochun’s lips and tilted his head to the side.

“Yoochun-ah, bite me again, please, please.”

Yoochun shivered. He licked the wound already in Junsu’s neck, dug his tongue into one of the punctures.

“Oh, fuck,” Junsu moaned. “More, please, please. Please Chunnie.”

Yoochun scraped his fangs over skin.

Junsu cried out, thrusting into his hand and then against his body.

Two sharp points of pain shot through his neck, but it was what he was waiting for. Junsu cried out.

Yoochun wanted to close his eyes, close them and relish in the blood flowing down his throat, but he kept them open, wide, trained on the pulsing cock in his hand.

“Yoochun! Fuck!” Junsu screamed.

White come spurted from his cock, covering Yoochun’s hand.

Junsu’s body went slack, breath gasping, head lolling to Yoochun’s shoulder. A steady stream of whimpers left his throat.

Yoochun decided he quite liked seeing Junsu like that.

Another minute of thrusting against Junsu had Yoochun’s body swimming with pleasure. Almost belatedly he realized he still had fangs in Junsu’s neck and he retracted them, instead pressing lips to the sated elf’s shoulder.

Junsu’s hand came up again and slid into his hair. He pulled their heads together, kissing with a shallow tongue. Yoochun moaned, sped up a tiny bit. A tiny twist of his hips and an obscene moan from Junsu was enough and he came over Junsu’s ass. He couldn’t stop moving, jerking as his orgasm refused to fade for long moments.

Junsu sighed, body now completely loose, hand running through Yoochun’s sweaty hair.

“Wow,” Junsu muttered, smiling. “Fantastic.”

Yoochun scoffed. “Yes, you are.”

The small curve of lips blossomed into a full smile and Junsu laughed loudly. He shifted around, but keeping a hold of Yoochun until they were laying down, Yoochun above him. He pressed kisses to Junsu’s chest.

Junsu giggled. “Why the questions about love, Chunnie?”

Yoochun stiffened, but didn’t look at Junsu. He continued kissing his body.

“You’re incredibly sensitive for a vampire,” Junsu said, running hands down Yoochun’s back. “And you wear your emotions like a piece of flashy jewelry. It’s like, here, look at me, see what I am! It’s odd.”

Yoochun didn’t reply.

“I’m not playing with you,” Junsu continued, arching a bit when Yoochun’s lips pressed against a nipple. “I like you, Yoochun. I really, really like you.”

Yoochun smiled, heart a bit lighter. “I like you, too.”

“Really?” Junsu said with a laugh. “I couldn’t tell.” He grabbed Yoochun’s face. He brought their lips together again. “Come on, let’s go get cleaned up.”  
  
v-v

Jae lay awake, one arm behind his head. Thinking of Yunho. Again.

He sighed, slightly disgusted with himself that this werewolf was invading his thoughts. But he hadn’t imagined the little flicker of attraction Yunho showed him last night. Even if he was doing that cat, Yunho was attracted to him. Even if it was just a little bit.

And why the hell didn’t that disgust him like it should have? Werewolves were not worthy enough to like a faerie. Fascinated and controlled by, yes, but not attracted to. Not in the way Yunho’s body and energy had responded to his.

Jae sighed. God, why did he even fucking care?

As dawn approached and whimpers and moans echoed from the vampire’s rooms, Jae resigned himself to no sleep. He got up, threw on a pair of sweat pants and headed to the kitchen.

He put up a barrier at the vampire’s door, cutting off the sounds of pleasure. He went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of orange juice.

Jae frowned and then sighed. He wanted to taunt the wolf, touch him and revel in Yunho’s embarrassment, but he couldn’t mock him like that.

A little part of his brain reminded him that he had enjoyed being next to Yunho’s body just as much as Yunho had enjoyed it.

Could he get the wolf? He scoffed. Of course, he could. Did he want to? Let the wolf touch him and …

Jae shivered, but not in disgust like he should have. The thought of those hands on his skin had his body tingling.

But Yunho wouldn’t just climb into bed with him because he was pretty. Yunho had made it painfully clear that yes, Jae was gorgeous (of course he was) but that was it.

And for some reason that hurt. And Jae couldn’t understand why. Not completely anyway. But if he wanted Yunho, he wouldn’t be able to rely on his beauty.

God damn it. He wanted Yunho.

Jae put his face in his hands and let out a muffled scream of frustration.

v-v

Yunho was instantly awake, ears picking up sounds of distress.

Pleasure, his tired mind told him, and he relaxed. He gathered Athena closer to him and kissed her shoulder. He had a ‘never stay over’ rule that the girl kept breaking, but he really didn’t mind. He liked waking up next to her, her multicolored hair splayed over his chest and stomach.

She stirred against him and mumbled his name.

He laughed and then slowly pulled away. With one more kiss between her shoulder blades, he got out of bed and went to make coffee.

The faerie had beat him to it. He stood at the counter, white sleep pants flowing around him. The edges of his wings formed an intricate, yet sheer screen, leaving his back, arm and shoulder muscles on display.

Jaejoong turned at the sound of Yunho’s sharp intake of breath and handed him a cup. “Here. One cream, bit of almond flavoring. No sugar.”

Yunho raised his eyebrows. He took the cup, eyed it, and making sure Jae was watching, sniffed it.

“I didn’t poison it,” Jae said with a huff.

Yunho scoffed. “Never hurts to be cautious.” He took a sip of the coffee and closed his eyes in pleasure.

Jaejoong stared, mentally traced the curve of abs with his tongue and the top of those sweats with his fingers. God, that body was utter perfection.

Jae snorted.

“What?” Yunho said.

“Just wondering why the powers that be wasted such a great body on a werewolf,” Jae said, and cursed the tiny note of longing in his voice.

Yunho raised an eyebrow. Again.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” Yunho demanded.

“Like I’m … like I’m … ” _Crazy,_ his mind finished for him, but he said, “Whatever. Just stop.”

“Sorry sorry, but who are you, and what have you done with Jaejoong? The Jae I know does not care about how a werewolf likes his coffee and the Jae I know would not toss, not one but two compliments at a werewolf about his body. Even if they’re underhanded compliments, they’re still compliments.”

Jae didn’t reply. What was he supposed to say? _Well, Yunho, I’m falling in love with you?_

Jae’s breath caught. Fuck. And he knew that was true. He screamed in his head, and hotly denied it. But it was more than just Yunho’s body that he wanted.

Flustered and even more pissed off at himself, Jae snapped, “Fine, then. You’re not worthy to be drinking coffee made by me anyway.” He flicked his fingers at Yunho, blinding him for a moment, and the hot coffee spilled down his front and the cup shattered on the floor.

“What the hell?” he demanded.

Jae headed for the door, but Yunho grabbed his arm. And Jae did not shiver at the contact, no, he did not, nor did he shiver at the strange yellowish glow behind the werewolf’s eyes.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Jae could feel their energy mingling, and wondered if Yunho could. Jae’s energy was supposed to retract from wolves, but not with Yunho. It jumped, and vibrated.

Yunho fought back a shiver as a strange blue glow floated through Jae’s eyes. His skin prickled, hair raising like he was about to spring from a hiding spot onto unsuspecting prey.

“Thank you for the coffee. It was good,” Yunho said, and it came out with a touch of a growl.

Jae shivered.

Yunho released him as a shot of pleasure overwhelmed the anger flying off Jae. He stepped back, slightly scared, and confused. He turned and went to the coffee pot.

Jae watched him, opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it. He flicked his fingers again, cleaning the coffee off Yunho’s body.

He passed the cat in the hall, and didn’t hold back the sneer at her. She just rolled her eyes and continued to the kitchen.

Yunho drank his coffee, staring into the cup. He made his coffee the same way every morning. And yet, the cup Jae had made tasted better than the one in his hand.

Jae had made him coffee. Jae. The most selfish faerie he’d ever met. Made him coffee. Yunho remembered the thrill from yesterday from being so close to Jae’s body. And then remembered Jae’s body. All muscles. All angles and hip bones and broad shoulders.

And that blue-tinged energy.

He shook himself.

“You okay there, handsome?”

Yunho smiled at Athena, pulled her close and kissed her. “Just worried about today’s schedule.”

They were supposed to go back to the recording studio this morning, and yet, Junsu and Jae were still avoiding each other and Changmin wasn’t talking to any of them.

“You’re a good leader,” she said.

He grunted.

“No, you are. According to society, you shouldn’t care about any of these guys. And yet, they put you in this position and you’re doing it.”

“For selfish reasons,” he said. “I want to sing and perform again.”

“You’re still doing it.”

He sighed.

Athena knew that nothing she could say would placate him. She wanted to bring up the faerie, but decided it was a bad time.

“I’m going to go,” she said.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her. “I know you’re trying to help and I appreciate it.”

He saw her out, and then stood in the darkened living room for a moment contemplating what she said. He didn’t want to do this, be the leader of a rabble of creatures, but now he was pretty sure that he trusted Yoochun at his back, cared about Changmin like a little brother and considered Junsu a good friend. Jae … well, he might have been a little bit in love with Jae, but he blamed it on the faerie-ness of him, and not on the fact that he could be funny when he wasn’t being mean, nor on the way his broad shoulders slimmed down to his trim waist.

He shook himself away from that image and headed down the hall. “You all better be awake,” he shouted. “We have to be at the studio in an hour.”

He received four affirmations back, and then went in to shower.


	10. And no throwing pieces of Changmin at each other either.

A half hour later, five very disgruntled creatures met in the living room.

Silence.

Yunho cleared his throat. “We could do without the fiasco that happened yesterday, understand?”

None of them said anything.

“Junsu?”

“It was the faerie’s fault!” Junsu said.

When Jae went to protest, Yunho held up a hand. “Are we twelve, pointing fingers at each other? We’re grown men and we sure as hell should be acting like it. The differences between us are nothing but petty and illogical. We all want the same things, right?”

“Like what?” Changmin asked.

“Well, we all want to perform, right? Be noticed.” He looked at Jae when he said this. “Belong to something, even if it is with other creatures. And we all need the same things, right? Food, water, energy, sex.” He shot a pointed look at Yoochun and Junsu. Even with their shower, he could still smell it on their skin. They grinned at each other.

“And either fortunately or unfortunately we all have to work together to get those things,” Yunho said. “It’s up to us to decide how difficult we make this on ourselves. I’m trying to get along with all of you, but sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who’s trying, Yoosu not included.”

“I’m trying, hyung,” Changmin whispered.

“Oh, so I guess you’re saying that I’m not trying?” Jae crossed his arms in defiance.

“No, you’re trying,” Yunho said and met his eyes. He wouldn’t mention the coffee thing in front of the others, but hoped that Jae understood that he appreciated the gesture. “The problem is that you’re not trying with all of us. Neither are you, Junsu. The two of you need to stop throwing magic at each other. And no throwing pieces of Changmin at each other either.”

Jae scoffed in disgust. “Like I’d touch him.”

“Shut up, Jae,” Yunho said. “He’s a creature, same as you. What I said before is true. Between helping Changmin clean up his scraps and dealing with your arrogance and selfishness, I’ll take Changmin scraps.”

He knew it would hurt Jae to hear that, and he was right as Jae’s eyes narrowed. But Jae needed to hear it. He turned to Junsu. “And I don’t believe that you’ve apologized to Changmin yet for using him as part of your arsenal.”

Junsu grimaced. “Sorry sorry, Changmin. I was just really upset and—”

“It was worse that you made it seem like spending a night with me would be gross,” Changmin whispered.

Junsu got up from Yoochun’s lap and moved to Changmin’s chair. “I know, and I’m sorry. Jae was really irritating me and, well, I spoke before I thought about your feelings, and I’m really sorry.”

To Changmin’s surprise, Junsu hugged him, like really hugged him, like no one had hugged him in a long time. He didn’t wince or try to avoid his skin either. And he stayed hugging him until Changmin recovered from his shock and hugged him back.

“Thanks, hyung,” Changmin said. “I know you were just angry.”

“That’s not an excuse though,” Junsu said. “It won’t happen again.” Junsu pulled back, kissed Changmin’s cheek and then stood up. He laughed at Changmin’s surprised faced. “Your skin is getting tighter. I’m glad you’re eating enough now.”

“Jae?” Yunho said with an eyebrow raise.

Jae rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll try, but breaking a decades-long habit is going to be hard, so you can’t blame me if I slip.”

“That just gives you a loophole to do it,” Yoochun said.

Jae smirked.

Yunho sighed. “Good enough, but damn it, Jae, you better try or I’m going to be pissed.”

Jae shut his eyes. Fuck him and this stupid sudden need to try to get on Yunho’s good side. Jae nodded once.

Yunho let out a deep breath. “Okay. Are we good now?”

They muttered acknowledgments.

“Don’t everyone be too excited. Come on, let’s go finish this song.”

They ran into Sylver and Sahar in the lobby. Sahar blushed and couldn’t look at them.

“Hey, hyungs,” Sylver said.

“How are you feeling, Sahar?” Changmin asked.

Sahar looked up and then gaped for a moment. “Fine. I’m fine, Changmin oppa.”

Changmin smiled at her, and her knees shook. Changmin! Changmin oppa smiled at her! And talked to her!

“Good,” he said. “I was very worried about you.”

They exited the building. Even this early, there were fangirls waiting for them. Most shouted for Changmin and Jae, but there were a few Junsus being called.

“You haven’t seen Lexy around, have you?” Sylver asked.

“No,” Changmin said. “Not since Sahar was hurt. Can’t you call her?”

“I don’t know her number,” Sahar said, still breathless. “We always only met here to … to … “ She blushed again.

“To fangirl,” Changmin said with a smile.

Yunho and Yoochun exchanged glances. Was it possible that Tsuki had struck twice that night? Neither liked that possibility.

Sahar tugged at Sylver’s arm. “I’m going to be late.”

“Right,” Sylver said, and smiled. “Walking her to school.”

“Good,” Changmin said. “Thanks for protecting her.”

“Good bye, oppas,” Sahar said and grabbed Sylver’s hand. They walked away, and Changmin smiled when they didn’t let go of each other.

Yoochun waited until they were in the car and said, “Isn’t Lexy here every night?”

“Usually,” Changmin said. “I didn’t notice that she wasn’t here yesterday.”

Yunho said, “Last night was clear, though, right?”

Yoochun nodded. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it will stay that way. Someone knows I’m here.”

“Why are you hiding?” Jae asked.

“None of your business,” Yoochun snapped.

“It’s my business if a vampire is suddenly going to dig fangs into my neck.”

“We won’t suck on faeries,” Yoochun said.

“Yoochun,” Yunho said as a warning.

“Not like that,” Yoochun said. “We can’t. They’re creatures of light. Pretty much made of sunlight. It fries us from the inside, especially the pretty ones. Jae’s blood would probably kill me in about five seconds.”

Jae smiled. “You think I’m pretty,” he crooned.

Yoochun rolled his eyes. “Way to take the important information out of that. Good job.”

“I did. You think I’m pretty.”

“You are pretty,” Yunho said. Silence fell. Jae’s mouth opened in shock. Yunho smirked at him. “Well, and then you open your mouth and start belittling everything around you. Stop doing that and you’d be damn near perfect.”

Jae scoffed and flipped his hair. “I am perfect, puppy.”

“Your coffee is.”

Their eyes met, and then Jae smiled and looked away.

“But, Yoochun, Junsu is a creature of light,” Changmin said with a frown.

“Yeah, but he’s not made of light like Jae is,” Yoochun replied.

“And you’re not sucking on him,” Jae said with a knowing glint in his eye, “because that would be illegal, right?”

“Right,” Yoochun said, but they all saw him blush, and Junsu laughed and curled closer to him.

v-v

When Changmin came out of the recording booth, the five creatures stared at each other. Not really in awe, but more in disbelief. They managed, for the last five hours to get their entire song recorded. Some music and beats were going to be added and then by the end of tomorrow, the thing would be done.

“Good job, guys,” Yunho said with a genuine smile. “I knew we could do it.”

“What now?” Changmin asked.

“Food,” Yunho said, “and then let’s get into a practice room and start choreographying this shit.”

“Choreographing,” Jae said.

“You knew what I meant, so who cares?”

Yunho led the way to the cafeteria. It was lunch time so most of the tables were full. Segregated. Werewolves, faeries, elves. One vampire sat by himself in the back, the other creatures giving him a wide berth. He met Yoochun’s eyes and nodded a greeting. There were a couple zombies around a table of food.

Yunho was the first to get his food. The full moon was less than a week away and his body started rejecting cooked meat and vegetables if he ate too much. He needed to hunt, could feel it in his bones and blood. He sat at the only empty table right in the middle of the room.

“Jaejoong!” another faerie called, and scooted over and patted the seat next to him.

Jae looked at Donghae, and then over at Yunho by himself. “I must be out of my mind,” he muttered, then shook his head at the table of faeries. “Maybe next time,” he shouted and then sat next to Yunho.

The entire cafeteria went quiet.

Yoochun dropped a tray full of food across from them, followed shortly by Junsu. The elves gasped when Junsu slid in close and said, “Let me feed you,” in that innocent voice of his.

Yoochun smiled and shook his head. He almost made a comment about already feeding from Junsu today and then said, “Maybe when there aren’t so many eyes on us.”

Junsu looked around the room and rolled his eyes.

Changmin, in all his innocence, dropped a laden tray on the table and ate. In between inhales, he said, “I can’t believe it, hyungs. We finally got it recorded. I’m really excited.”

“Me, too,” Yunho said.

“Me, too,” Jae echoed, but with a seductive drop in his voice. His leg pressed against Yunho’s under the table.

Yunho met his eyes for a moment, raised a single eyebrow and kept eating. He didn’t move his leg away. Jae stared at Yunho’s profile in muted shock.

“So,” Yoochun said, “what kind of dance are we putting to this?”

“How well can you guys dance?” Yunho asked. “Well, besides Junsu. He’s always kicked my butt in dance offs.”

“I’m okay,” Changmin said.

“I hate sweating,” Jaejoong muttered.

“Show me what to do and I can do it,” Yoochun said.

Yunho thought for a moment and then said to Junsu. “Should we go home and choreograph this first and come back tomorrow?”

“Sunlight,” Yoochun said. “We might as well just stay.”

They finished their lunch and got up to go. The cafeteria was quiet again. As they walked past the faerie table, Donghae stood up and grabbed Jae’s arm.

“What are you hanging around trash for, Jae?” he demanded.

Jae wrenched his arm away. He looked at where Donghae had touched him and curled his lip. He flicked a cleaning spell at his arm. The faeries gasped.

“That was unnecessary,” Leeteuk said.

“So was Donghae calling my friends trash,” Jae said back.

Siwon scoffed. “Friends?”

“Yeah, friends. You know, people you hang out with. People you talk to when you have problems. People you protect when others are being bigoted jackasses. Friends. And we’re pretty busy. So I’ll see you around.”

Jae draped an arm around Yunho’s shoulders, only to hear the inevitable gasps that followed, not for any other reason, and then led them out of the cafeteria.

Not that Yunho minded, but he did mind, a bit. He knew it was just to prove a point to the other faeries, but somehow his arm snaked around Jae’s waist. Not, like, tightly, but just there, like he would with one of his friends. And he did not shiver and get goosebumps when Jae’s wings caressed his arms. Touched! Touched his arm.

And when they were out of the cafeteria and walked down the halls, neither of them pulled away.

Jae flung open the door of the practice room, and not until it was shut did he pull away from Yunho. He raised a hand and threw lightning at one of the mirrors. It shattered. The tinkling of glass and Jae’s gasping breaths echoed for a few silent moments. Then Yunho took a deep breath and did something incredibly stupid.

He wanted to rant and rave and yell and demand that Jae grow up and fix the mirror and … but then he remembered why Jae was so upset.

He took Jae’s hand. “Friends, huh?”

Jae scoffed. He didn’t look up, but his lip curled into a smile. “Maybe eventually,” he finally whispered, “but I think I got my point across.”

“We’re going to start a creature war,” Yoochun said.

“Not our fault,” Changmin said. “It’s not like this was our idea.”

Yunho looked at each one of them and then said, “So do we bag it? Walk away from it? Or are we going to do this? I knew coming into it that it was going to suck having to lead you four.”

Their responses were guarded and Yunho smiled. “Luckily I was wrong. Y’all aren’t so bad, you know. Even you, you blood sucking vampire.”

“That’s illegal,” Yoochun said automatically.

And they all laughed.

“Come on,” Junsu said. “Let’s dance.”

“Don’t we need the recording?” Changmin asked.

“Naw,” Junsu said. “Right now we’re just going to learn what we all can do, and we know how the song goes enough to get some of the basics for it.”

The others moved across the room, but when Jae went to move, Yunho tugged him back. “You alright?” he whispered.

Jae smiled and squeezed his hand. With his free hand, he flicked a repair spell at the mirror. “Yeah, I guess. You’re not going to make me dance though are you?”

“Not right now. Go make yourself even more beautiful or something.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet to me.” Jae kissed his cheek briefly and then turned away before the werewolf could see the blush on his cheeks or the fear at being rejected. He could feel the stare, but no reprimand came, and Jae took a deep breath. He could do this. He always got what he wanted before. But a werewolf? Why did he want a werewolf?

Because he's Yunho, not just a werewolf.

God, he was crazy.

Yunho stared after him, frozen, a hand on his check, until Junsu said, “Hey, Fido, let’s dance.”

Yoochun and Jae sat against one of the walls of mirrors. They weren’t close enough to touch, but closer to each other than they would have been two weeks ago. Yoochun watched Junsu’s body wave and undulate and curve and pop and, damn he could just slide through these dance steps.

Jae watched Yunho’s body do the same thing, but his thoughts were different. What was the wolf playing at? Did he like him, like him? Or were they just friends? Were they even friends? But god, his body was fabulous.

“He has a girlfriend,” Yoochun suddenly whispered.

Jae scoffed. “He has a girl he’s been fucking for a few days. Hardly girlfriend status.”

“Point. And your humans?”

“They’re just humans,” Jae said and then cringed. “God, I hate having a conscience about stuff like this now.”

“I doubt Yunho’s gay, or even bi. Wolves aren’t like that. Very one-mate-for-life kind of creatures.”

Jae rolled his eyes. “I doubt he’s going to be mating with this cat for life.”

“Or a faerie. Look, he’s probably going to end up with some girl in his pack because of some type of status builder.”

“How do you know so much about it?”

“Vampires are the same way. That girl Tsuki wanted to be clan leader. She decided she needed a mate, and bam, guess who that was? Eventually we took over the clan. We were pretty powerful, ruling together and then she let it go to her head a bit, and I started pulling away from her. She started lying about me, and then suddenly the pack turned on me, and I was kicked out. Tsuki gave me a six hour head start and then sent the clan after me.”

“And it’s been twenty years?” Jae asked, remembering a bit from when the psycho girl had broken down the door.

“Yeah. It’s not that hard to hide from a disorganized clan.”

“So what do you think her purpose was in locating you?”

“Beyond just wanting me back, I have no idea.”

“Wanting you back?” Jae scoffed. “A little full of yourself there, Dracula.”

“Coming from the king of humility,” Yoochun said back.

Jaejoong laughter was enough to startle Junsu and Yunho still.

“What?” Yunho asked.

“Nothing,” Jae replied. “Dracula here thinks he’s funny.”

v-v

She waited, downwind, of course, and in the shadow of the building. They couldn’t be gone all day, and she didn’t dare break into their apartment. Only if need be.

Their car pulled up, and she shifted.

Patience. You can wait a bit longer.

The zombie was the first one out of the car. Her lip curled when the silly little fangirls swooned and cried out his name and snapped pictures of him.

The elf was next, followed by Yoochun. She snarled when they wrapped arms around each other. An elf? He was doing an elf? So, Tsuki had been right about that bit of information, but she’d also promised that Yoochun’s good nature would compel him to come back to the clan. Not threaten to kill them all.

And Yoochun needed to come back. He needed to come back and die like he should have twenty years ago.

The faerie met up with another faerie and two human girls. One launched herself at the faerie and kissed him repeatedly until he grabbed her arms, said something that broke her heart and held her at arm’s length. She followed him into the building, head down.

The werewolf was the last one into the apartment. He paused at the door, looked around, including toward her hiding spot and frowned. She saw his chest rise in a deep breath. Then he shook his head and went inside.

Always trust your instincts, wolf, because someone is always watching.


	11. So are we going to celebrate or what?

“So are we going to celebrate or what?” Jae demanded.

“Celebrate what?”

“I went a whole day without throwing magic at Junsu.”

Silence filled the living room and then Yunho grinned. “Well, hell. You did. We should celebrate that. What do you want to do?”

Jae met his eyes, turned his gaze to smolder and licked his lips.

Yunho stared for a moment longer than was strictly necessary and then looked away. He still smiled.

“Do we even have any alcohol in this house?” Yunho asked, and used it as an excuse to escape the living room.

Jae smiled and then turned to Heechul.

Heechul tsked at him in disdain. He was once again examining his nails. “You’re flirting with the wolf?”

“He’s actually really nice.”

“He’s a wolf.”

“So? I’m a faerie.”

“That’s my point.”

“What about me, oppa?” Jamie asked with a grin.

“Um, you’re a human.”

“I know, but you’re not flirting with me.”

“I didn’t realize that I was required to,” Jae said coolly. After Jamie’s rather enthusiastic greeting, he hadn’t touched the girl.

“But opp—”

Jae held up a hand. “No.”

“Seriously, Jae,” Heechul said and actually looked up at him. He took a slender hand and moved his currently brown hair away from his face. “If I didn’t know you better, and I like to think I know you the best, I’d say you’re falling in love with the werewolf.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jamie said and then shut her mouth with a little scared meep.

Heechul spared her one glance, and then flicked fingers at her. Her hair went green and stringy.

“Get out,” Jae said. “Now. You should know better than that.”

The girl left in tears.

“Serves her right,” Traci said and smiled up at Heechul. “You’re not ridiculous. You’re beautiful.”

Heechul smiled at her. “I am, aren’t I?”

“Oh, yes, oppa. The most beautiful faerie.”

Jae watched and curled his lip in disgust. Was he really that self-centered just a two days ago? He schooled his features when Heechul looked back at him.

“You should really reconsider. If you’re in the mood for a man, I’m sure Donghae or—”

“No. It’s not that, Heechul.”

“I heard what you did to Donghae today.”

Jae scoffed. “He probably called crying to you as soon as I was out of earshot.”

“You used a cleaning spell after he touched you.”

“And I’d do it again,” Jae snapped.

Changmin jerked and Yoosu, who had been ignoring the faeries, looked over at them. Jae caught movement in the corner of his eye. Yunho.

“He also said you called them your friends.” Heechul spit out the last word.

Jae looked at them. “They are.”

Heechul opened his mouth, but Jae continued, “You have no idea how hard this has been on all of us. I’m not even going to try to explain it because you’ll say something demeaning, but this is our shot to be famous, my shot to sing and perform and do what I love. And people will notice me and admire me. After today, there isn’t another group of guys I’d rather debut with. I’m proud to call them my friends.”

“Are you through?” Heechul said. He’d gone back to his nails half way through Jae’s tirade.

“Just get out,” Jae said and flung a hand at the door. It flew open.

Heechul scoffed. “When you come back to your senses, you know my number. Traci.”

The human was on her feet immediately. Heechul took her hand and they left. As soon as they were through the door, it slammed on its own.

There was a bluish light behind Jae’s eyes that made Yunho shiver. He could almost see waves of energy coming from Jae’s body.

“I need to destroy something,” Jae muttered. “Did you find any alcohol?”

“No. We can go get some if you really need it.”

Jae took a deep breath. “No. Not when we have to be at the studio so early. I’m just going to go to bed.” He took off down the hall.

“That’s not much of a celebration,” Yunho said.

“Come join me and it will be,” Jae snapped behind his back, and then mentally slapped himself. He slammed his bedroom door and locked it.

Good one, Jae. Just scare him off.

Yunho stared after him for a moment, and then realized that he was actually contemplating the offer. He shook his head and then met Junsu’s eyes.

“What?”

“You like him.”

“No, I don’t.”

Junsu turned to Yoochun. “I like how he’s trying to lie to two creatures that can smell the arousal in him.”

“Fuck off,” Yunho said and left the apartment. He didn’t really know where to go, but he knew it wasn’t there. He pulled out his phone to call Athena, and then put it away. He wasn’t going to go to the girl when he wanted to be somewhere else.

Damn faerie. He may not have wanted alcohol, but Yunho did. He headed to the closest bar.

“Well, that was interesting,” Yoochun said.

“Never saw that coming,” Junsu agreed. “Are you patrolling tonight?”

“I have to,” Yoochun said with a sigh.

“I miss you.”

“I know. I miss you, too.”

“You guys are cute,” Changmin said.

Junsu giggled.

“Vampires aren’t cute,” Yoochun said.

“Vampires in love are,” Changmin replied and stood up. “You guys might want to move this to the bedroom though. Yunho might be a bit angry when he comes back.”

“Why would he be angry?”

“Wouldn’t you be angry if you realized you were in love with a faerie?”

Junsu laughed again. “Most definitely.”

v-v

Yoochun sat on the edge of the roof. The wind was blowing in too many directions to rely on scent right now, so his eyesight was in full use. Since he’d been feeding on Junsu, his senses had improved considerably. He kept his attention on one particular shadow that he was certain kept moving.

Only the sudden smell of vampire behind him warned him, and he moved quickly to the side, feeling a silver knife cut through his cloak.

“Pretty quick, Yoochun.”

“Damn it, Daniela. What are you doing here?”

The Matriarch of the Korean vampires smirked at him, pale face standing out sharply against the night. Her long auburn hair blew in the wind. He choked back a feeling of longing.

“Your clan is out of control,” she said.

“I have no clan.”

Daniela sighed. “You know the laws.”

“They kicked me out and gave me a head start. Just like the laws state. There’s nothing in there saying that I’m still the clan leader if I happen to survive.”

“No, but there is a provision that says a new clan leader can’t be appointed until the old one is dead. They’re your clan.”

“How is that possible when I have no clan powers?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“What do you mean?”

“I have no control over them. I haven’t since I left.”

Daniela’s narrowed her eyes in thought. “You should, because you’re not dead. Powers don’t transfer until you die.”

Yoochun shrugged. “Don’t ask me. All I know is that I was run out of my clan and left behind two women to lead it.”

“I’ll look into that then, but now they’ve found you. So what do you do?”

“I watch until they die.”

“You’ll destroy them before you lead them?” There was definite surprise in her voice and it was really hard to surprise a matriarch.

“Yes. Or until they kill each other off.”

Daniela glided to the wall and leaned in close. She sniffed Yoochun, and then her nose wrinkled. “You’ve been drinking elf blood.”

Yoochun didn’t try to deny it.

“Your band mate?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Yoochun laughed. “He’s got a bit of a fang fetish, if you’d believe it. And it beats the shit out of animal blood.”

“But he’s an elf.”

Yoochun sighed. “Yes, he’s an elf. But he’s also cute, and funny and makes me laugh. He makes me laugh, Dany. I actually wrote a happy love song last night. Well, it’s not finished, but it’s happy, about being in love, and how every time it’s new and—”

“Okay, okay. I get it. What about the other members?”

“The faerie is still a bit annoying, but he actually called us his friends today. He’s in love with the wolf and the wolf is falling in love with him. And Changmin is just Changmin. He sits there quietly and observes us. When he does talk though, it’s usually pretty profound.”

Daniela nodded and settled a hand on Yoochun’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re getting along and that you’re finally happy.”

They both looked over the courtyard and the top of the buildings around them.

“You’ve got a watcher down and to the west,” she said.

“I know. Can you see who it is?”

“No. Female, though. No one can keep track of your clan, but rumors are that all the other males have been killed. No one is sure how big it is, but I’d be surprised if there were more than ten of them right now.”

“That small?” Yoochun said in amazement. “Tsuki wasn’t kidding.”

Daniela’s eyes flashed. “You talked to Tsuki.”

“She broke into my apartment and held a stake to my heart until the faerie threatened to fill her full of silver.”

“You didn’t kill her.”

“I saw no reason to. I told her to go tell the clan to leave me alone. And then last night, Yunho – the wolf – smelled vampire, so I’ve been patrolling the last two nights.”

“What did Tsuki say?”

“That they wanted me back.”

She scoffed. “I highly doubt that. They want you dead.”

They both noticed when the shadow moved away from the wall and headed down the street, though neither turned to look.

“She’s probably bait. As soon as you attack her, they’ll all come and get you.”

“They aren’t that organized,” Yoochun said.

“Are you willing to bet your life on that?”

“I’m still up here and not down there, aren’t I?”

Daniela nodded. “You know I can’t get involved, right?”

“Yeah, I know, but thanks for coming anyway.”

“What are friends for?”

She slipped an arm around his waist, and then pulled him into a hug. “If your elf makes you happy, don’t let him go. No matter what love says, you can’t get them back if you let them go.”

“I still love you, Dany.”

“No, Chunnie, it was a long time ago, and yeah, I still regret it, but the thing I’m grateful for most is that we’re still friends. There aren’t that many people in my life that I can say that about and it’s sad because I’ve been alive for fucking ever.”

“You’ve been dead forever.”

She laughed. “I’ll keep in touch. Come and check on you in a couple days. Just to make sure you aren’t dead.”

“Your confidence is reassuring.”

She kissed his cheek, and then turned. Just as suddenly as she was there, she melded into the shadows and was gone.

v-v

Yunho somehow managed to get his key to unlock the door. He wasn’t drunk, but man he was damn close to it. A few drinks and shots and there was only one thing the opposing sides of his brain could readily agree on: he was in love with the damn faerie.

He stumbled to the kitchen, got a large glass of water and guzzled it. Nausea rose through him, and he shut his eyes against it and swayed. Okay, so maybe he was drunk.

He made enough noise in the hallway to wake everyone up, but no one said anything. Frowning, he stopped at the faerie’s door and leaned against it. He made scrunchy faces against the wood and sighed.

“You can come in if you want,” Jae’s voice said, and the door unlocked.

Yunho’s hand was on the doorknob. He swayed a bit more.

“No,” he muttered. Not like this. Not half drunk. Okay, completely drunk. He staggered away from the door, somehow managed to open his. He tripped over something, not his own foot, of course not, and landed on Junsu’s bed. He didn’t move until morning.


	12. Junsu is not good at hiding his feelings.

“Yo, Yunnie. Get your ass up.”

Someone smacked his ass.

“Go away,” he muttered. Yoochun? Yeah, it was Yoochun.

“Come on. I know you’re hung over as all hell, but you need to get up and we have to be at the studio in just over an hour.”

Yunho took a deep breath, and then let it out harshly when Yoochun grabbed his legs and spun him over. Everything twirled and pain laced through his head. He groaned. Then Yoochun pulled him to a sitting position by his arms.

“Stupid drunk wolf.”

Yoochun slapped him.

Yunho’s eyes flew open. “What the hell?”

“Get up.” Yoochun left the room.

“Fucking vampire,” Yunho muttered, but he got up and naked and in the shower. The hot water did a bit to help his aching muscles but not much else. It sobered him up some. Man, how drunk was he last night?

He remembered leaving the bar. He remembered getting home.

_You can come in if you want._

He remembered the cold doorknob against his heated skin.

Yunho shuddered and finished getting dressed into workout pants and a tank top. God, he needed to hunt. He knew better than to get drunk so close to the full moon.

He staggered into the kitchen, wincing at the bright light.

“Hey, Stumbles,” Jae said.

Yunho couldn’t focus on him as he came closer.

“Here,” he said and grabbed Yunho’s hand. Heat permeated his hand from the cup. “You might need this.”

“Thanks,” Yunho croaked. He took a sip of perfect coffee and shut his eyes in bliss. He might or might not have moaned.

“You also need to eat,” Jae said.

“Not hungry.”

“Doesn’t matter. You need to eat.”

Yunho couldn’t protest as Jae guided him to the table and forced him to sit.

“Now, I know it’s close to the full moon, so even though it’s absolutely disgusting, I barely cooked any of this for you, but I expect you to eat it.”

A plate of half-congealed eggs and raw bacon and beef landed in front of him.

“Do I need to feed you, too?” Jae asked and scooped some up in a spoon.

Yunho muttered nothing incoherent and took the spoon from him. He pretended not to notice Jae shiver when their skin touched.

After a few bites, Jae tsked at him.

“What?” Yunho demanded.

“Celebrating by yourself when you had a perfectly good offer to be with someone else.”

Yunho did not blush. Damn that faerie. He ignored the comment and kept eating. “Why does this taste so good?”

“Because I made it,” Jae said and then laughed when Yunho shot him a look. “I don’t use the stove or the oven. I use light, energy. It makes it so the flavors don’t escape.”

“You’re going to cook for us from now on.”

“For you maybe.”

“Jae. You said you’d try with the others.”

“Calling them my friends isn’t enough?”

“Wouldn’t you cook food for your friends, or are you only saying and doing this stuff to get into my pants?”

Jae stood up abruptly. Yunho almost apologized, but he really needed to know the answer to that. Yunho turned to look at him. He leaned on the counter, back to him. Those sheer wings twitched, throwing rainbows around the room.

“You have no idea how hard this is,” Jae said.

"I'm sure--"

Jae turned around and waved Yunho silent. “No. You don’t. I’m a completely different person than I was a week ago.”

Yunho stood up and walked slowly toward him.

“Do you know what it’s like to look at yourself, really look at yourself, and understand that you’ve caused more suffering to others than good? I’m a fucking creature of light and I caused so much suffering. But even when I say that, this little part of me is like, who the fuck cares? You’re better than they are. You’re a faerie.”

_What the hell are you doing, Yunho. What the fucking hell?_

_Shut up._

Yunho slid his hand around Jae’s waist, under his wings, this time definitely shivering when they caressed his arm. He pulled Jae close, put his other arm around his shoulders and held him. His eyes shut when he smelled Jae’s hair. It was the exact shade of his coffee.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “but I’m still having trust issues. Faeries are incredibly manipulative and self-serving creatures. I’m trying not to second-guess everything you do, but it’s hard.”

Jae, with some difficulty, kept his arms between them, bent at the elbows, so he was curled into Yunho’s embrace. Not that he minded, but god, he needed to hold him.

“I like your hair this color,” Yunho said, and fingers trailed through it.

Jae shivered.

“Hey, are you guys—”

Yunho jerked away from Jae.

Yoochun was leaning against the door frame, smirking. “Sorry to interrupt.”

“You weren’t interrupting anything,” Yunho said quickly, but kept his eyes to the floor. He walked to the table and grabbed his plate.

“You were supposed to eat all of that,” Jae said with a frown.

“And then throw it back up,” Yunho said as he dumped it. “I can only handle so much food right now.”

“How many days until the full moon?” Yoochun asked.

“Three,” they both said.

Yoochun grinned at Jae. Jae flipped him off.

“What are we supposed to do then?” Yoochun asked.

“It’s just for a night. I head to the hunting grounds before sunset, eat, and then come back.”

“Savage,” Jae said, but instead of disdain, lust colored his voice.

Yunho shook his head. “What is it with these light creatures wanting to be with dark ones?” he asked Yoochun.

Jae moved in beside him and kissed his cheek. “Ever think that maybe it’s because of who you are, not what you are?”

Jae left the kitchen before Yunho could react.

He turned wide eyes to Yoochun. “Did a faerie just say that? Did _that faerie_ just say that?”

Yoochun smirked. “Yeah, he did. What about your cat?”

Yunho shrugged. “She was fun, I guess, but this is … is …”

“Better?”

“Don’t know about that, but it’s different.”

“You’ve never been with another guy.”

Yunho didn’t know why he blushed, but he did.

“Don’t worry. Jae knows that. And for some reason, he genuinely likes you. He won’t push it. He may flirt and make jokes and, well, just be Jae, but he’s not going to force you into anything.”

“I know.”  
  
v-v

Sylver checked his phone as he walked down the street. Another text message from Sahar. He tried not to roll his eyes. The girl had latched onto him like a lifeline when he’d only taken care of her for Changmin. He replied to her message, saying that he couldn’t meet with her, and it wasn’t a lie. He had so much homework to do. When another text came that was just shy of begging him, he ignored it walked faster. Chances were that she was out in the courtyard anyway, and he’d end up talking to her.

He rounded the corner and noted with mild interest that the door was propped open and a couple of young men were carrying furniture through it. He slipped in the door after them, sighing in relief when he didn’t come within sight of the courtyard.

“Sylver!” The security guard waved him over. A really pretty girl leaned on the counter. She had short hair, a very trim body, and big eyes. She wore tight jeans and a loose pink shirt.

“This is Jessica,” the security guard said. “She and her family are moving right below you.”

Sylver bowed and so did she. She blushed a bit and it looked so endearing.

Sylver grinned. All thoughts of homework were gone as he asked, “Do you need some help moving in?”

“Sure,” she said. “Some of the guys from the company are helping, but any set of hands helps.”

“I’ll let your parents know, Sylver.”

“Thanks.” Sylver dropped his bag behind the security desk and went back outside. He carried boxes for Jessica and met her parents. She was a trainee in SM Entertainment about to debut with a girl group.

The afternoon wore on. Sylver found himself enamoured with this girl. At just about sunset, he got another text from Sahar. /*emos*/

Sylver frowned and then realized that she had probably been in the courtyard watching him smile and flirt and laugh with Jessica. He felt bad, but he had made no promises to the girl.

“Sylver?” Jessica said. “Problems?”

“No. Just this girl that likes me.”

“Oh.”

Sylver looked up at her disappointed tone. “No, not like that. I don’t like her. I mean, I do, she’s a nice girl, but not like that. You know.”

Sylver blushed when Jessica smiled at him. “Ah, one of those.”

“Yeah. We both really like Changmin, and well—”

“Changmin the Zombie? I love him!”

“He lives in this building.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, him and some other creatures live on the top floor.”

“With other creatures?”

“Yeah, actually they’ll probably be home any time. They’re always at the company during the day. We can wait out on the steps for them if you want.”

“I should really start unpacking,” she said with a frown. “Oh, well, it will still be there tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah.”

v-v

Jaejoong laid his head on Yunho’s shoulder and cuddled up next to him in the car. “You’re lucky you’re attractive, Fido,” he said, “because otherwise I think that I’d hate you right now.”

Yunho laughed. “Come on. It wasn’t that bad.”

Jae looked up at him in disbelief. “You did see how much you made me work today, right? How much I actually sweat? The state of my hair when you finally let us take a break?”

“Sweaty and disheveled is a very good look on you.”

Jae tried not to smile, but he had to. “I always look good, don’t I?”

“Always,” Yunho replied, and Jae cuddled back into him. He threw an arm around the faerie’s shoulders. He didn’t notice that his fingers were playing with Jae’s wings until the other man shuddered.

“That tickles,” he said and flipped his wing out from Yunho’s fingers.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Time and a place for that kind of thing,” he said with a wink.

“Would you stop?” Yoochun said with an exasperated growl. “At least Junsu and I kept our flirting behind closed doors.”

“That doesn’t mean you hid it well,” Jae said. “Junsu is not good at hiding his feelings.”

“That’s okay,” Junsu said and curled up close to Yoochun. “It got me what I wanted pretty quickly.”

“And why do you think I keep flirting with him?” Jaejoong asked, shooting Yunho a smile that made his heart flutter.

“Because you like the attention,” Changmin said.

Jae opened his mouth, but Yunho laughed. “Don’t you dare try to protest that.”

Yunho’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He shifted to get it out, body pressing rather nicely against Jae’s for a moment. The faerie thought so too and sent him a smoldering look.

A text message from the manager.

“They want us to prepare another song,” Yunho said and then smirked. “It says, ‘don’t you dare bring me something like this first one. Bring me a love song or something.’”

They all looked at Yoochun. He shrugged. “I’ll show you guys what I have. There’s one that’s probably going to work the best. It’s a love song, but it will still piss off management.”

“I like that idea,” Changmin said, and they all looked at him in surprise. “What? Do you know how long they’ve been letting me go hungry until Yunho demanded that I have more food? I think we should take any chance we can to piss them off.”

“The zombie’s developing a manipulative streak,” Jae crooned.

“Comes with living with a faerie, I guess,” Changmin said.

Jae laughed. “At least you’re learning something from me.”

The car pulled to a stop. Yunho climbed out first and then held out his hand for Jae to get out. Jae didn’t let go of it.

“Jaejoong-shi, Yunho-shi.”

Sylver waved at them and they smiled back. “Hey, Sylver.”

“Guys, this is Jessica.”

They bowed to her.

“She just moved in on the fifth floor. She’s going to be debuting soon.”

They said their congratulations and then Sylver introduced her to Yoochun, Junsu and finally to Changmin.

She went a little pink and said very quietly, “I like your voice.”

“Thank you,” Changmin said.

“Why is it always the zombie?” Jae muttered, but loud enough for them to all hear.

Junsu laughed. “Don’t you have enough human females in love with you?”

“No.”

“I’d say you have too many,” Yunho said, a slight growl under the words.

Jae’s smile grew. “Someone’s jealous,” he sang.

“I can’t believe you guys all live together,” Jessica said and then apologized for being rude.

“Trust me,” Changmin said. “We can’t believe it either.”


	13. Thank you for complimenting me, even if it was forced.

“What should we order for dinner?” Junsu asked.

“I don’t know,” Yoochun said, just as Changmin said, “Food.”

Junsu rolled his eyes. “What kind of food?”

“I’ll cook something for us,” Jae said and headed to the kitchen.

Yunho smiled after him, but the others stared at him with mouths open.

“What do you mean?” Changmin said.

Jae smirked over his shoulder. “Cook. The process of taking ingredients and mixing them together to make something edible.”

He disappeared in the kitchen. The other three looked over at Yunho.

“Don’t look at me,” he said. “I can’t figure the faerie out either. Yoochun, go grab some of those songs you wrote and we’ll go through them.”

Yunho headed into the kitchen. Jae had tied a bright pink apron around him.

“Where did you get that?”

“Oh, it was in one of the drawers, but it was an ugly green that so does not look good with my skin, so I changed it.”

“Cute.”

“Yes, I am,” Jae sang and flashed him a smile.

The four of them sat at the table. Yoochun passed his music around.

“This one is the one that I thought would piss them off the most,” he said. “It’s called Holding On.”

“Sing it,” Yunho demanded.

“I’ll sing most of it, but it is written for at least three voices.”

“Good thing we have five,” Junsu said.

Yoochun sang the song and then explained, “During the chorus, I have written in a background voice singing, ‘I die a little each time I see you. I cry a little each time I love you’.”

The sizzle of meat from the stove filled the kitchen. They all stared at Yoochun until he looked down, embarrassed.

“Yeah, we’re singing that one,” Jae said and turned back to the food.

“Yep,” Changmin said. “It’s perfect.”

Yunho nodded. “Shouldn’t be too hard to divvy up the parts.”

Junsu sang the melody, no words. “You’ve got that in A, right?”

“For now,” Yoochun said. “If you think it should be different—”

“No, no.” Junsu sang a different string of notes, a complement to the melody. “Feels perfect. Changmin’s voice would be excellent for those strains with the chorus.”

“What about Jae’s voice?” Changmin said. “The way he adlibs notes would fit well for it.”

“Nope,” Jae said. “They need to be strong, and the audience really needs to remember them. Your voice is better for that.”

There was silence again. Jae glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. “Yes, I just complimented the dead guy. Please continue.”

“Jae, you should probably start it,” Yunho said. “You and Junsu. Then Yoochun take the second verse.”

“It would sound awesome if we harmonized on the chorus,” Junsu said.

“Alright, boys, move the papers,” Jae said.

He set a bowl of rice in the middle of the table. Four other platters floated behind him. As soon as there was room, he set down noodles, a plate of beef, vegetables and chicken. Another flick of his hand had dishes and chopsticks flying through the kitchen. Junsu had to duck as a carton of juice just missed his head.

“Sorry sorry,” Jae said. “I’m so used to aiming for you that I got that a bit too close.”

The others laughed.

“And for you, my darling,” Jae said and set a plate in front of Yunho. Again, it was full of practically raw meat and only a few vegetables and noodles.

Junsu cringed. “That’s disgusting.”

“You bathe in shit, my friend,” Jae said. “Remember that.”

“Right.”

“So since I’m not as arrogant, I’m not as disgusting, right?”

More than one of them scoffed.

“The day you’re not arrogant,” Changmin said, “is the day I live again.”

“Me, too,” Yoochun said.

“Hey, I’m getting better.”

“You’re less of a bastard, but no less arrogant.”

Jae pouted. Yunho smiled. He put an arm around him and kissed his cheek. “If you weren’t arrogant, you wouldn’t be you,” he said, ignoring four incredulous stares. He concentrated on eating, leaving his arm around the faerie.

“Damn, Jae, this is good,” Changmin said while scooping more meat onto his plate.

“It really is,” Junsu added. “Thanks for cooking.”

Jae finished eating and pushed his plate away. He didn’t get up, but scooted his chair closer to Yunho and curled up under his arm. Yunho was pushing the last of his food around his plate.

“It’ll hurt my feelings if you don’t eat it,” Jae said.

“How much will your feelings be hurt if I throw it back up?”

Jae made a face. “Point. What about dessert?”

“Ugh. No way. Nothing sweet.”

“What about something tangy and a little arrogant?”

Yunho smiled. “Tangy?”

“You can tell me if I’m wrong.”

“How ‘bout we sing a bit before you two decide to start doing it on this table?” Yoochun said.

Jae frowned. “You’re the leader, Yunho. Tell him we’ll sing after.”

Yunho shook his head. “Nope. Sing first.” He kissed Jae’s forehead and then got up. He dumped his plate, and then shut his eyes as the world spun. Fuck. He shouldn’t have gotten drunk last night. A firm hand went around his waist and held him up.

“You okay?” Jae asked.

“Yeah, but after tomorrow, I may not be in any condition to sing and dance.”

“Why not?” Changmin asked.

“The day before a full moon is usually the worst. I just don’t have any energy and I can’t eat anything and I can’t do much except drag my ass to the hunting compound. But my energy stores sucked up a lot of reserves ‘cause I got drunk last night, so I’ll probably be useless for two days.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you,” Jae whispered.

“Let’s go sing.”

Yoochun brought his keyboard into the living room and they all took their places. Changmin in his chair, Junsu in the other. Yunho slouched against the couch, resting his head on the back. Jae lay down and put his feet in his lap.

“Play it, Yoochun,” Yunho said without opening his eyes.

As the song played, Yunho rubbed a finger over Jae’s ankle and down his foot.

“You know,” Jae whispered, “if you’re going to touch my feet, you might as well massage them.”

Yunho smiled, but picked up one foot and rubbed firm fingers into the arch, side and pads.

At the chorus, Junsu sang the backgrounds in a soft voice, while nodding. “Yep. Changmin’s parts.”

“You are a really talented song writer,” Jae said when it was over.

“Thanks.”

Jae raised his eyebrows in expectation.

“What?”

“Don’t I get a compliment back?”

Yoochun scoffed. “Which one do you want?”

“Any.”

“Fine. You’re a good cook.”

“I am, aren’t I?”

Yunho pinched one of his toes.

“Hey!”

“Just say, ‘thank you’,” Yunho said, smiling.

“Fine. Yoochun, thank you for complimenting me, even if it was forced.”

“God, Jae,” Yunho said, but Jae was grinning.

Yunho’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He lifted Jae’s legs off him, and fumbled for it, but Jae took that opportunity to scoot closer to him, so in the process of pulling the phone out of his pocket, he managed to grope Jae’s ass, as well. Jae smirked at him when he blushed.

Then his face fell. It was Athena. He’d already ignored three calls from her that day. He sighed and answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, handsome. I haven’t heard from you for a couple days.”

“Yeah, I’ve been busy.”

She laughed. “Don’t lie to me. You’re in love with the faerie and I’m okay with that. Look, that’s not why I called. I know you entertainment people don’t watch the news, but you should probably turn your TV on.”

“Hey, Changmin, turn the TV on,” Yunho said. “Any particular channel?”

“Just a news one.”

“Kay.”

“And hey, Yunho, you’re pretty cool. We can be friends, right?”

Yunho looked at Jae, who was shaking his head.

“Yeah,” Yunho said. “We can.”

Jae made a face.

“You doing okay before the hunt?” After a moment, she said. “I can hear how tired you are. That faerie better be taking care of you, or I’m going to claw his eyes out.”

“He is.”

“Good. Get some rest.”

“Thanks, Athena.”

He disconnected with her. The commercials ended and the anchor woman’s face appeared. His face was in the top corner.

“What the fuck?” he shouted.

They all shushed him.

“Recapping our top story, we have reports that SM Entertainment is developing a secret group. This group is not like any others, but an integrated group. Each member is a different creature. All the rumors agree that Jung Yunho, former leader of The Werewolves, is going to be the leader of this ragtag group. We can get no confirmations from anyone at SM about what creatures are joining the werewolf, but now that the secret is out, how long will they wait to confirm or deny it? We will have an update on how the public is reacting to this news later on in the broadcast. In other news—”

Changmin muted it. And then they all looked at Yunho.

“What?” he said. “Does that change anything?”

“I guess not,” Junsu said. “Jae, let’s sing this first verse together, see how it sounds.”

Yunho tried not to be a bit nervous. How would the public react? What would happen tomorrow when they went to practice? He kept rubbing Jae’s feet. If SM decided to cancel the group, what would they all do? Would they be moved, put in another group? As much as he loved being part of the Werewolves, he didn’t remember being close to any of the members, even in the early days. Even before they were officially disbanded, Yunho hadn’t talked to any of them in months.

Jae sat up and nudged him. He looked over at him. Changmin was singing part of the bridge with Junsu.

“You okay?”

“No.”

“What’s wrong?”

“What if they break us up? What if people don’t like us?”

Jae put his arms around Yunho’s neck. “We worry about it when it happens.”

Yunho leaned into the comfort, Jae’s hair tickling his nose. “I think this is the first day your hair has stayed the same color all day.”

“That’s because you said you like it.”

Yunho smiled. “You do know I’m very nervous about this.”

“Look, we can’t control what SM does—”

“Not that. This.” He nuzzled Jae’s neck.

“After practice are you going to let me dispel all your worries?”

“God, I wish, but not right now.”

“Why not?”

“You think getting drunk messes me up before a full moon, sex and, any and all acts related to it, make me dangerous.”

“What do you mean?”

Yunho sighed, but when he tried to pull away, Jae tightened his hold.

“I mean, I lose control. Claws come out, canines come in. It’s like I sort of shift, but not quite and then it’s like I’m in a half state that’s more wolf than man until the moon is full and then recovering takes even longer.”

Jae wanted to ask, had to ask who he’d lost control with, but he kept his mouth shut.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Then I should probably move away from you, huh?”

“Naw, just keep your hands to yourself.”

“No fun.”

Yunho laughed. “We’ll have fun.” He lifted his head a bit and leaned forward. His lips grazed the side of Jae’s mouth as he whispered, “And you’ll be glad you waited. My energy, vitality, longevity all increase after a hunt.”

Jae’s eyes fluttered shut and then he pushed away from Yunho with a gasp that caught the others’ attention.

“Sorry,” Jae said, “he’s teasing.”

Yoochun rolled his eyes. “Good thing you guys are taking this seriously.”

“Sorry,” Yunho said, still smiling at Jae. “What are we talking about?”

**Lyrics to _Holding On_ by Vampire!Yoochun **

I don’t suppose I could call you  
Or even say hello.  
Or even meet your eye  
Without you wondering if I’m  
Insane  
Crazy  
In love.  
I think I must be.

They say we can’t be together  
They say we shouldn’t try  
If you’ll only look at me  
I promise that you won’t see  
Disdain  
Disgust  
Fear  
I promise I will smile.

I’m holding on tight  
To a love I can’t have  
A lover only in dreams  
Is love supposed to hurt this much? (I die a little each time I see you.)  
It’s suffocating me. (I cry a little each time I love you.)

What if you didn’t know  
dirty blood runs through my veins  
Would you still look through and  
Take pieces of me with you  
Emotions  
Shards  
Soul  
I belong to you

I’m holding on tight  
To a love I can’t have  
A lover only in dreams  
Is love supposed to hurt this much? (I die a little each time I see you.)  
It’s suffocating me. (I cry a little each time I love you.)

Why can’t I be like you  
Why can’t you notice me  
Why must you cringe away  
When you are all I need  
Holding on to you  
is like holding onto wind  
All it does is blow away  
And leave me alone again.

I’m holding on tight  
To a love I can’t have  
A lover only in dreams  
Is love supposed to hurt this much? (I die a little each time I see you.)  
It’s suffocating me. (I cry a little each time I love you.)

Is love supposed to hurt this much? (I die a little each time I see you.)  
It’s suffocating me. (I cry a little each time I love you.)


	14. You’ll never beg me to stop again.

Yunho and Jae stayed up way later than they should have. Yunho knew it, but he just couldn’t bring himself to go to bed. Even after Yoochun and Junsu had retired, and then Yoochun reappeared, looking flush and happy, to go patrol. Changmin stayed up, but finally said good night to his hyungs and went to bed.

Yunho kept massaging Jae’s feet, even though he wanted to rub higher and higher on his legs, thighs, body. They watched the rest of the news report. No creatures were happy about the rumors of an integrated group. Some of Yunho’s previous band members were interviewed, and while they all agreed that he had been a good leader, they also agreed that something hadn’t been quite right with him.

Jae scoffed at that. “Showing signs of a faerie kink even back then, were you?”

Yunho grinned. “Must have been.”

And then Athena’s face was there. “It’s all a bunch of bull beep. Who cares if they’re integrating? We have to live with these creatures, why not try to treat them all same?”

Jae scoffed. “She just liked the sex.”

“You don’t even know if it’s good yet.”

Jae smirked. “I can disappear, remember.”

Yunho’s mouth dropped open. “You didn’t.”

Jae laughed. Yunho moved his hands and poked Jae in the side. He laughed harder as Yunho continued to tickle him.

“Tell me you didn’t,” Yunho demanded.

Jae gasped. “I didn’t, god, I didn’t. Stop. Just stop.”

Yunho stilled his hands. He was leaning over Jae, staring at that mouth partly open and gasping. He couldn’t hold back a growl and he said, “You’ll never beg me to stop again.”

Yunho knew his eyes were glowing. Knew it, but tried vainly to care. He shut his eyes and with a great amount of will power, pushed himself away from Jae. He climbed off the couch and leaned against the trunk of the tree. He kept his eyes shut, so he wouldn’t see how incredibly gorgeous Jae was for a moment, and took deep breaths.

“Will you remind me to tell Junsu to either move this thing or get rid of it?” Yunho asked, voice raspy.

“Yeah. You alright?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. I feel like the hunt should be tomorrow night and I still have to wait two days. If you guys try to wake me up in the morning and I’m completely incoherent, then just leave me.”

“Okay. You should probably go to bed.”

Yunho nodded and pushed away from the tree, and right into Jae.

Jae caught him. “Sorry. You must be out of it if you didn’t even know I was in front of you.”

Yunho shook off his hands and then headed down the hall. Jae flew after him. He tried not to feel put out and pissy for being rejected. Yunho had a good reason for it, but he couldn’t help it. He hated being ignored for any reason.

When Yunho reached for the door of his room, Jae locked it.

Yunho spun around. “Unlock it.”

Jae grinned and stepped close to him. “In a second, yes?”

Yunho shut his eyes again. “You’re playing with—”

“Fire, yeah, I know.”

“Jae, please. Don’t. I’ll hurt you.”

Jae’s breath ghosted against his face. “Okay, okay.” The door clicked open and then Jae’s lips pressed against his cheek. “Sleep well, Fido.”

Yunho scoffed, and then practically fell into the sanctuary that was his room. He locked the door, not caring about the fruitlessness of it, and then collapsed into his bed.

v-v

It was Yoochun that woke Yunho up in the morning. Yunho sat up, groggy and lightheaded. The world spun, and he shut his eyes.

“You going to be okay?” Yoochun asked.

“Yeah, for a half day, I should be alright. I’m not sure I can dance though.”

“Well, let me tell you what’s up before you make a decision.”

“That sounds bad.”

“Yeah. Media. Vultures, outside the building. They’re interviewing the fangirls and bothering the tenants.”

“Shit.”

“Yep.”

“What time is it?”

“Five.”

“Okay. Let me wake up and shower and call management.”

“They’ve been calling since three this morning, but none of us have answered.”

“Why not?”

“Besides the fact that we’re still ‘asleep’? I’m not going to be on call whenever the management wants to call me.”

Yunho grinned. “Good idea.”

Yunho showered and dressed in sleep pants. He moved slowly down the hallway, putting a hand up when his body swayed. Yeah, he doubted he was going anywhere today.

Jae met him in the kitchen. His smile immediately turned to a frown, and he was next to Yunho in the time it took to fly to him.

“You should still be in bed,” he admonished, putting a supporting hand on his side.

Yunho slid into a chair. “I’m alright, for now.”

“You’re such a liar,” Jae said. He set down a cup of coffee.

Yunho went to take a swallow of it and then pulled it back, the smell of sedatives waving off the rim of the cup. “Nice try,” he muttered and handed it back.

“It was Changmin’s idea,” Jae said with a shrug. Jae stood, dumped the coffee and made him a fresh cup.

“I promise I’ll only be up long enough to deal with this mess, and then I’ll go back to bed.”

Jae stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders while Yunho sipped his coffee.

“Do you want something to eat?” he asked.

Just the thought of food made his stomach churn. “No thanks.”

A bright blue phone on the table vibrated. Jae picked it up and made a face. “Management again.”

Yunho took it and answered. “What?”

“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling for hours.”

“I just woke up. Problems?”

Jae bit back a laugh.

“Yes, there are problems. The media is going crazy, there are creatures protesting outside the building and the elves are close to fighting with the faeries and—”

“And exactly how is that my problem?”

Silence, so Yunho continued. “It wasn’t my idea to integrate a group, now was it? There’s no way that I’m going to believe that you guys didn’t see this coming. Don’t you dare blame it on us. Like I said before, you tell us, and we’ll walk away from it.”

More silence and Yunho thought he had hung up.

“No,” he said. “We won’t give up on this yet.”

“Fine,” Yunho said. “So, what you’re going to do is release an official statement to the media. And what I’m going to do is go downstairs and talk to the media. As long as we say the same thing, we’ll be fine.”

“That’s not a good idea.”

“Why not? Otherwise, the media will never give up and they’ll blow things out of proportion and the chaos will be worse.”

“So what do we say?”

“You say there is an integrated group in the works. Name us as the participants and tell them we’re working on a mini-album. We don’t have a group name yet or anything else, but right now we’re just trying to keep from killing each other.”

“I’m not saying the last part.”

“I am. We’re not leaving this building today.”

“We need your new song,” he sputtered.

“Yes, well, I’m about useless this close to a full moon and I need to go back to bed. I’ll send Jae and Junsu and Changmin with the lyric sheet, but we’ll record it after the full moon.”

More silence. “Guess that’s the best you can do,” he muttered.

Yunho hung up and then put his head on the table. Jae’s soft hands massaged his back again.

“Now you have to go talk to the media,” Jae said.

“Yeah.”

“Well, let’s go.”

Yunho looked over his shoulder.

“What? You think you’re the only that gets to be on camera?” Jae flashed him a smile.

Yunho grinned. “Alright. Let me finish this coffee, and you finish the massage.” He called for the other three. They sat at the table.

“We’re going to go talk to the media,” Yunho said. “Nothing long, just a brief statement. No one answers any questions. Okay?”

Changmin gulped. “All of us?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I just … I just haven’t been in front of the camera since I became a zombie,” Changmin said.

“You’ll be alright,” Junsu said. “You’re skin is almost back to normal.” He reached a hand and touched Changmin’s. There was a small divot, just like a regular human hand.

“And management?” Yoochun asked.

“I told them to shove it. It’s not our fault.”

“What about the rest of the day?” Junsu asked.

Yunho looked over at Changmin as he replied, “Well, it seems that someone decided that I shouldn’t do anything today.”

Changmin met his eyes, but flushed just a bit.

“Which is a good idea, so we’re staying here. The three of you that can go out into the light need to take Holding On over to the company. And then just come home. Don’t answer any media questions. But if you feel like you’re in danger when you get there, just turn around and come home, okay? I don’t want any of you hurt because some overzealous creature decided to take a chunk out of you.”

“Yes, boss,” Junsu said and saluted him.

“Let’s go throw the vultures some bones,” Yunho said and stood up. He would have swayed, but Jae was there to steady him.

“Are you going out half-naked?” Jae asked with a frown.

Yunho looked down at his bare chest. “I didn’t even notice.”

“How could you not notice this body?” Jae crooned.

Yunho latched on to Jae’s wrists before he could do more than touch his chest. “Don’t.”

Jae pouted and then grinned. “Later, though, right.”

Yunho rolled his eyes.

“I’ll go grab you a shirt, hyung,” Changmin said.

Jae kept his arm around Yunho’s waist as they headed to the door, and then helped tug the shirt over his head before heading out.

“This is weird,” Junsu muttered as the entered the elevator.

“What?” Yunho asked, leaning against Jae.

“A faerie, helping someone.”

“Don’t worry,” Yunho said and cuddled into Jae’s side. “He’s only doing it to get into my pants.”

“I am not!”

When the elevator stopped, Jae held the doors shut. “Hang on,” he said and waved his hand at all of them.

A brief wind blew in their faces and then settled. Jae nodded. “There. Much better.”

“What is?” Junsu demanded.

Jae smirked. “I have natural beauty, but you four looked like you just rolled out of bed. I glamour-ed you up a bit for the cameras.”

Another wave made the door of the elevator into a mirror. Glamour-ed up was an understatement. Their hair was styled, make up done, even their clothes looked like they were tailored and expensive.

“Jae,” Yoochun said and tugged at gelled hair.

“Look, guys. This is the first time we’re going out on camera, alright? We’re going to look good, and not look like a ragtag group of miscreants who just happened to be thrown into a group together.”

Yoochun opened his mouth again, but Yunho stopped him. “It’s a good idea. Thanks, Jae.”

“I could have turned your shirt pink,” Jae said.

v-v

Sylver stepped into the lobby and then groaned. Extra security had been called to keep the reporters out of the building, but that didn’t stop them from clogging the steps and snapping pictures. One of them noticed him and cameras and lights were pointed into the lobby.

So much for getting to school early.

“Sorry, Sylver, sir,” the desk guard said. “We can’t legally make them leave.”

“I know.”

Sylver headed to the door.

The elevator beeped. “Sylver! Wait!”

Sylver turned and smiled at Jessica. “Hey.”

“Hey, where are you going this early?”

He hefted his bag. “The university.”

“Me, too. Can I walk with you?”

“Of course.” Sylver held his hand out for her bag and then slung it over his shoulder.

“What’s with the media?”

“Oh, they found out about Changmin’s group, and like always, are blowing everything out of proportion.”

As soon as the door opened, the reporters were shouting questions at them.

“Who are you? Where are the creatures? Is it true that they had to shackle the vamp to keep him from killing them all?”

Sylver tried to maneuver through them. Jessica clung to his arm. He stopped long enough to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her through the crowd. Suddenly there was a camera and microphone in his face. The reporter behind it asked, “Just tell us how it is living with them in the same building.”

Sylver sighed and looked around. Everything went quiet. “They’re good neighbors,” Sylver finally said. “They’re quiet, they keep to themselves.”

“So the rumors about creature wars aren’t true?”

“Not that I’ve heard.”

“Which member is your favorite? Which creature do you support?”

“They’re all nice,” Sylver replied. “I can’t wait for their CD to come out so I can buy it. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to be late for school.”

The questions continued, but just when Sylver didn’t think they’d break through the crowd, one of the reporters yelled, “There they are!” All the reporters left them, some jostling them in their haste to get back to the steps. Quite suddenly they were alone.

Sylver took a deep breath and then looked down at Jessica. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Guess I’m going to have to get used to that, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Sylver went to move his arm from Jessica’s shoulders, but before he could, her arm went around his waist. He grinned at her, tightened his hold and his expectations for the new semester skyrocketed.

v-v

Yunho waited behind the four burly security guards. He had no intention of going beyond them. They stood in a line with Junsu on the far right, then Yoochun, Jae, Changmin and Yunho.

The reporters were shouting questions at them.

Yunho raised a hand and waited until they were all quiet.

“Thank you, now—”

Questions started flying again, and Yunho growled, knowing that golden glow was in his eyes. It worked though, and they all shut up.

“You keep talking and we’re walking back in that door. First off, after this, not one of us is going to talk to you, so take it or leave it. Second, we expect you to get the hell away from our building. There are very nice tenants here that don’t need to be bothered by your questions. Now. An introduction. Junsu.”

Junsu shot the cameras his you-can’t-ever-be-mad-at-me grin and said, “I’m the Elf, Kim Junsu.”

Yoochun barely smiled and said, “I’m the vampire, Park Yoochun.”

Jae flashed his full on, look-at-me-and-die smile. More than one of the human reporters swooned. “I’m the faerie, Kim Jaejoong, and I’m better than you.”

Yunho fought back a grin. He met Yoochun’s gaze and they rolled their eyes.

Changmin bowed a bit and with a shy smile said, “I’m the zombie and magnae, Shim Changmin.”

The fangirls in the courtyard squealed.

“And I’m Jung Yunho, their leader. Yes, we are an experimental group under SM Entertainment. No, we don’t have a name or a date when we’re going to debut. Right now, we’re just trying to get along with each other. And so far, things are okay. Jae and Junsu have finally stopped throwing magic at each other, and Yoochun and I can be in the same room without trying to play alpha male.”

“No one is going to believe that a vampire is taking orders from a werewolf,” a reporter said.

Yunho ignored him and continued, “If we debut, I’m sure SM will schedule a press conference. Until then, we’ll see you guys later.”

The questions started immediately. Yunho gestured for the doorman to open the doors. Halfway through the lobby, Yunho’s legs gave out. Both Yoochun and Jae caught him before he could fall. Flashbulbs and light filled the lobby. Jae flung his hand, throwing the lights back at the reporters. Yoochun crouched and with Junsu’s help, got the now slightly conscious werewolf on his back.

“Dumb dog,” Jae muttered.

“He’ll be alright,” Changmin said. “After the hunt I guess.”

“How are we even going to get him there?”

“We’ll figure it out,” Yoochun said.

They settled Yunho into his bed. His skin was hot and covered with sweat. He muttered something and thrashed around.

“Go get that sedative,” Yoochun said to Changmin.

Yunho’s fingers lengthened to claws, and only Yoochun’s quick reflexes kept them out of Junsu’s arm.

“You two get out of here,” Yoochun said, as Yunho bucked, mouth open, canines glistening. “He can’t kill me or Changmin.”

“But—” Jae bit his lip.

Junsu grabbed his arm and pulled him through the door. “He’ll be alright.”

Changmin barreled past them, and the door slammed.

Jae turned scared eyes to Junsu. They both jumped when there was a loud crash on the other side of the door.

“Damn it, Changmin!” Yoochun shouted. “Hold him.”

Junsu tried to pull Jae down the hall. “Come on, Jae. He’ll be alright.”

Jae fought against him for a moment and then said, “What if he’s not?”

“He will be. Come on. We have to get ready and go down to the studio.”

“Damn him for making me care about him,” Jae muttered and stalked to his room.

Junsu smiled after him. “Who would have thought,” he said to himself. He went to  
Yoochun’s room and sat on his bed, flipping through the lyric sheets to Holding On. It was only a few minutes later that Yoochun came in. His arm was covered in blood.

“God, are you alright?”

Yoochun waved him away. “Yeah, I’m okay.” Yoochun ripped the shirt off and winced. “Yunho just got me with a claw.”

Junsu stood. “Here, let me see if I can heal it.”

“It’s dead flesh,” Yoochun said. “It’s fine, and it’s your blood anyway.”

Junsu smiled. “Are you going to come to the studio with us?”

“No, even if you manage to leave in the next few minutes, someone needs to stay here with Yunho.”

“Yeah. I’m going to go shower.”

“I’m going to run through those lyrics one more time.”

“Don’t you dare change any,” Junsu said. “They’re fine as they are.”

Everything was tense as Changmin, Junsu and Jae got ready to go. Jae was unnaturally quiet, and when Changmin touched his arm, the faerie didn’t cringe away, but looked up at him with empty eyes.

“Come on, hyung,” Changmin said. “He did warn us.”

“But what do we do?” Jae whispered.

“Nothing for now. We have to go.”

Junsu called to the front desk and made sure the car was there and ready to go. They got in the elevator. Halfway down, Junsu flung a burst of cold wind at Jae’s face. He barely looked up, so then Junsu drenched him in water.

Jae’s eyes shone with blue fire. “Leave me alone.” He waved a hand and dried himself off.

“I will not leave you alone,” Junsu said and grabbed the sides of Jae’s face to make him look at him.

“We’re about to wade through a bunch of reporters and you need to be the carefree, smiling, gorgeous faerie you are, you understand me? They’re going to want to know what’s wrong with Yunho, and by damn, you’re not going to let them realize that you even care. You want that to get out, that you have feelings for a werewolf?”

“I don’t care who knows.”

“I know, and in time, we’ll let everyone know, but now is not that time. Now, come on. Smile. Smile and be arrogant and gorgeous and exude that faerie grace of yours that makes humans lose themselves.”

Jae smirked. “Just humans?”

“All creatures. Even elves. God, Jae, half the time we hate you is because we’re jealous of you.”

“I want to get that in writing,” Jae said.

“He’s right, though,” Changmin said. “We need you right now, hyung, to lead us.”

Jae took a deep breath. “I really am gorgeous, aren’t I?”

“Yes,” Junsu said and released him. “Go show it off.”

“I wish I was beautiful like you, hyung,” Changmin said.

Jae looked at the kid. He wasn’t meeting his eyes. “Look, Changmin, you’re pretty good looking yourself.”

“I’m just a zombie though.”

“Best looking zombie I’ve ever seen,” Jae said.

“Now you’re just saying that.”

“Are you kidding?” Jae said. “I’ve never seen a zombie keep his human features as well as you have. And it definitely helps that you’re finally eating enough.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Changmin whispered.

“Shall we dazzle the media a bit?” Jae asked and then waved a hand in front of Changmin and then Junsu.

Changmin looked at Junsu in awe. His skin didn’t … sparkle, necessarily, but it was deeper. Clearer. “What did you do?” he whispered.

Changmin’s looked the same, but just a bit less … sparkly.

“I took the light that all creatures have and pulled it to the surface,” Jae said. “Little trick.”

“I have light in me?” Changmin said, voice breaking on the light.

Jae smirked. “Something keeps you walking, doesn’t it? Something keeps your eyes open and your skin regenerating.”

Junsu opened the doors, and said, “Well, let’s go dazzle them, shall we?”

Almost as soon as they stepped into the foyer, flashbulbs and lights were on them. Jae threw a little bit of the light back at them, just enough to blind them until they were outside. And Jae turned it on. A huge smile and kissy faces at the female reporters. Three of them fainted.

The male reporters regained their senses a bit sooner and started shouting questions, “Where’s Yunho? Did he faint earlier? Did he shift before the full moon? Where are you guys going? What’s happening? Why isn’t the vamp with you?”

“Who has to suck Yunho’s dick?”

That stopped them. Jae turned around, forced his lip curled in disgust and he said, “Don’t worry. The job is still open if you want it.” And then kept walking.

A few of the reporters laughed.

A security guard had the car door open for them, and they climbed inside.

“Wow,” Changmin said. “They didn’t try to grab us at all.”

Jae grinned. “It’s the light. To us it’s not nearly as bright as it is to human eyes. And if they’re not careful, on TV, we’ll just come out as white blobs.”

“I hope Yunho is alright,” Changmin whispered and then shivered.

“He will be,” Junsu said forcefully.

The ride was quiet. Jae kept clenching his hand on his knee, worry for Yunho threatening to overwhelm him. He’d never been worried about anyone but himself before, and he didn’t really like it. He didn’t like how much Yunho suddenly meant to him, but he also wouldn’t have traded it for anything. He’d never go back to how he used to be.

“Hyung?” Changmin said and touched his hand.

Jae jerked it away.

Hurt crossed Changmin’s face.

Jae, burying every bit of distaste that he could, grabbed Changmin’s hand. “Sorry, Minnie,” he said. “You just startled me.”

And it felt good. Good to just hold someone’s hand and take the comfort that it offered. Jae sighed and even leaned into Changmin a little bit. He shut his eyes, until he heard the unmistakable sound of a cell phone taking a picture.

He sat up. “What the hell?”

Junsu smiled from across the car. “Yoochun would never believe me, so I had to take a picture.”


	15. You guys are going to be a huge hit.

“Holy shit,” Junsu said as they pulled up to SM Entertainment.

There were creatures everywhere. Segregated, of course, but everywhere just the same. The vampires were conspicuous with their absence, but there were elves and faeries glaring at each other. Zombies sitting by themselves eating. And werewolves growling at them all. There were police everywhere. And cameras and reporters and bystanders.

As soon as the car stopped, uniformed security opened the door. Lots of security.

“Well, let’s go,” Jae said and climbed out of the car.

Everything went deathly silent for only a second and then the insults started. Even from the faeries. It hurt Jae to know that many of those faeries had been his friends. And the elves were hurling curses at Junsu. Jae kept his smile though, turning it to Changmin when he climbed out of the car. The zombies stayed surprising quiet, but still glared at Changmin with disdain.

“This is going to be interesting,” Jae said. “Don’t forget to smile, boys.”

Jae held his hand out to Changmin who immediately took it. The faeries cried foul and then the first magic was tossed when Jae draped his other arm around Junsu’s shoulders. Jae immediately threw up a shield of light around them and the security. The crowd surged, security tightened their guard. The police started throwing negative magic canisters, dispelling only a few of the spells. Plenty of them ricocheted off Jae’s shield and back into the crowd.

Four of the armed security came into the building with them while the others went outside to help dispel the mobs forming.

“That was fun,” Jae said and smiled.

Changmin scoffed, but still smiled a bit. “At least no one grabbed me.”

Security escorted them all the way to management’s office, and then said, “We’ll stay here until you’re done. We’re under strict orders not to let you go anywhere alone.”

“Thank you,” Jae said, and the guard jerked in surprise. “Amazing, I know,” Jae said with a grin. “But these guys are actually teaching a faerie how to deal with those lesser than he.”

“Jae, don’t be an ass,” Junsu said.

Jae laughed as they entered the office, and stopped in surprise. Everyone was there. Including Lee Sooman.

The three of them immediately bowed and exchanged the necessary pleasantries and titles.

“Boys,” Lee Sooman said with a huge smile. “This is amazing. We never thought we’d get this much of a reaction from all sectors of the population. You guys are going to be a huge hit.”

Jae scoffed, “Or a complete disaster.”

“No way. I’ve heard the song Yoochun wrote, and I have to say it is exactly what this group is all about.”

“Thinking you’re better than everyone?” Jae asked in surprise.

“Well, at first, yes, but then there’s the line about not killing each other yet, so there’s hope. Where is Yoochun anyway? I wanted to congratulate him myself.”

Junsu gestured to the windows. “A little too bright for him right now.”

“Ah, yes. And your illustrious leader?”

“Illustrious?” Jae said with a laugh. “He is currently incapacitated. He used too much energy this week and now will be worthless until after the full moon.”

“That’s too bad,” Sooman said. “Park here says you have another song to show us.”

“We do,” Junsu said and pulled out the lyric sheets.

“Did Yoochun write this one too?”

“Yeah.”

“That vampire is extremely talented. Sing it for us.”

Jae turned to the others. They shrugged, sending him silent messages that it was his call. “It’s really written for all five of our voices, but we can sing parts of it.”

Sooman waved a hand at him. “Just give us an idea.”

“Up to the first chorus, guys.”

Junsu sang an A, his voice pure and echoing in the office. Jae added his, and then Changmin’s came a few notes lower. Junsu snapped his fingers to the slow beat. Jae and Junsu sang the first two verses, and then Changmin’s voice harmonized on the chorus, breaking off the last two lines to sing those background strains.

Before the last echo died, Jae said, “And then there’s another verse, the chorus again, a bridge where Yunho and Yoochun rap and then the chorus again.”

“Amazing,” Sooman said. “You guys are going to be a hit. Are you guys having any problems? What do you need? Just name it.”

Jae looked at the other two in amazement. And then he remembered. “Well, we would like to have more security at our apartment. The media are everywhere and they’re bothering the other tenants.”

Lee Sooman snapped his fingers and another manager made a phone call. “What else?”

Jae smiled. “We’ll let you know if we think of something. As long as you keep this zombie well-fed, we’re set right now, thanks.”

“Okay, here’s the deal. After Yunho is back on his feet, you guys are going to do a photo shoot, and record this second song. We’ll release I’m Better than You as a digital single, make a video, and then work on two more songs. Tell Yoochun we want as many as he has. Before the next full moon, you guys are going to debut and we’ll release the mini album.”

He turned to the other management. “You treat these boys well, you understand me? If I find out that they’re being mistreated, I’m going to roll some heads, you understand?”

“Yes, Lee Sooman-shi,” they all said.

“If you boys have any problems, you call me. Don’t call these guys, call me.”

“Yes, sir,” Jae said and bowed.

“You’re dismissed. We’ll be in contact. Take the next few days and rest. We’ll see you again in three days.”

Lee Sooman shuffled them out and then slammed the door. Jae looked at it for a moment and then turned to the others. “I say that went pretty well,” he said and grinned.

“Pardon me, sirs,” a guard said. “We have to get you out of here as soon as possible. It’s almost a riot down there.”

Jae smirked. “I’ve always wanted to cause a riot.”

Changmin snorted and shivered. “It’s cool as long as they don’t take chunks out of you when you’re not paying attention.”

Out of the elevator, they were joined by more security, and then the doors opened.

Everything was a loud din. People shouting, zaps and zags of magic flew through the air. Jae threw up his shield again as those magic spells were aimed their way. They headed to the car.

“Jaejoong! Changmin!”

Jae stopped at the familiar voice even as security tightened around them. He saw the orange and white patched black hair of Athena trying to get to him. His eyes slid beyond her and widened in surprise. “Ueda!” he shouted.

The Japanese faerie smiled at him and waved.

“Let them through,” Jae said, and the two managed to get into the security bubble.

They continued to the car, ducking into the open door. As soon as it shut, the car left the curb, pushing through the crowd of angry creatures.

Jae and Ueda kissed cheeks. “It’s good to see you,” Jae said.

Ueda’s hair was to his shoulders, and currently a deep brown. Those pouty lips stretched into his perfect smile. “You, too. I see you’re causing problems.”

Jae smirked. “Are you jealous?”

“A bit.”

“Ueda. This is Changmin and Junsu.”

Junsu said hello, but it was in a very careful tone. Jae laughed. “Don’t worry. Ueda’s been all about integrating for years. One of his best friends is an elf, so most of the faeries don’t even socialize with him.”

“Including you.”

“Yeah, I was a bastard toward you. Sorry.”

Ueda leaned forward and gave him another hug. “It’s alright. Better that you understand now than never. And I just love your hair this color. What is it? Cinnamon inspired.”

“Coffee, actually,” Jae said and smiled.

“Yunho’s coffee,” Athena said with a smile.

Ueda laughed.

“Have you seen Tegoshi?” Jae asked. “He’s in town.”

“Yeah, we had tea yesterday. We were talking and we’re pretty sure we can get you guys the Japanese faeries’ support.”

“Wow. Cool.”

“Where is Yunho?” Athena asked.

Jae narrowed his eyes at her.

“Calm down, beautiful,” she said. “He’s a lot better off with you than he is with me.”

Ueda grunted. “Damn right,” he said and threw a possessive arm around her.

“That was quick,” Jae said.

Athena cringed. “I was sorta already seeing Ueda, but we argued and then … let’s not talk about it, yeah? So where is he?”

Jae sighed.

Junsu answered. “He wore himself out and fainted and got all delirious.”

“He tried to shift,” Athena said, eyes wide.

“Yeah, a bit. He’s sedated at the moment. We’re just trying to figure out how to get him to the compound tomorrow night.”

“No problem. I know a few wolves that will come and get him.”

Jae looked at her, and must have shown his distrust. She smiled at him and then laughed a bit. “Man, you’re already head over wings in love with him, aren’t you?”

Jae blushed. “No.”

“Liar,” Changmin muttered.

“Am not,” Jae said and poked Changmin’s side. His finger actually went into his side a few centimeters.

Changmin flinched. “Ow, hyung. Not all of me is stable yet.”

“Ew,” Jae said, even though he’d been touching cloth. “Sorry, Minnie, but ew.”

He flicked his hand like he actually had goo on it. Ueda grabbed it, rolled his eyes and tossed a cleaning spell on it.

“So you’re not in love with him,” Athena said, frowning.

“No. Being in love means you can fall out of it. I’m not in love with him. I love him. There’s a difference.”

Junsu and Changmin stared at him. “How do you know what love is?” Junsu said.

Jae sighed. “I don’t, I guess. But all I know is that I’d do anything for him, and that if I had to choose between being rich and beautiful without him, or being poor and ugly with him, I’d rather be poor and ugly. Not that I could ever be ugly, but you know what I mean.”

“Even though he’s a wolf,” Ueda said.

“Because he’s a wolf. If he was a faerie, I wouldn’t love him as much. Or at all.”

“So sweet and selfless,” Athena said.

“Ugh,” Jae said and put his face in his hands. “Don’t call me that.”

“Are you coming back to our place?” Junsu asked.

“Oh, no, we have to get back to the protest,” Athena said. “The day after the full moon we’re organizing a counter protest, one to support you guys. It’s going to be down at SM.”

“We’ll try to be there,” Jae said.

“Really?”

“Well, yeah. It’s in support of us, we should be there.”

“That would really be awesome,” Athena said.

Jae told the driver to stop.

“Give me your number,” Athena said, “so I can call you with arrangements to get Yunho picked up.”

Jae put his number into her phone.

“And don’t worry about him. For as stressed out as he was this last week, I’m surprised he made it this long without passing out.”

Athena and Ueda exited the car. He wrapped his arms around her, spread his pale green wings and took off back the way they came.

They pulled up to the curb. There were security vans and personnel all over the place. But only a few reporters. As soon as he was out of the car, Changmin’s fangirls started calling for him. Jae grinned, whispered to a couple of security guards. They nodded.

“Go sign some autographs,” Jae told him and handed him a thick marker. “These guys will make sure the girls keep their hands to themselves.”

Changmin grinned. “Good. I haven’t signed autographs in so long.”

As Changmin walked toward the group of girls, they went quiet. He grinned at them, found Sahar’s face in the crowd and beckoned her over. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

She cringed. “Yes, oppa, but you need our support right now.”

“You can support me by not missing classes, ne?”

“Sorry sorry, oppa.”

“Have you seen Lexy yet?”

“No, oppa. She hasn’t been around for days. I told you I was a bigger fan than she was.”

Changmin smiled. “I’m sure she’s just busy. Now.” He pulled the cap off the marker. “What do you want me to sign first?”

The girls squee-ed, but when they went to surge him, security was there.

“Form a line,” Changmin said. “We’ll do this in an orderly fashion. The only rule is no grabbing at me, okay? I just barely recovered from the last time you girls went a bit fangirly.”

The girls giggled and shouted apologies, but did as he said and lined up. Changmin signed shirts and CD cases and old human pictures of him and backpacks. He even allowed photographs. Most of the girls came back through the line with something else.

“Are we going upstairs?” Junsu asked Jae.

“Naw, we can wait. Besides, Yunho said that if he knew I left Changmin to the mercy of his fans again, that he’d.”

“That he’d?”

“That’s it. He never did get around to finishing the threat. But he did remind me that we’re his hyungs and we should be protecting him.”

Junsu laughed.

“Alright,” Changmin said when he signed a fourth item for a girl. “That’s enough.”

“Aw, Minne,” they crooned.

He waved to them and joined Jae and Junsu on the steps.

“Enjoy that?” Jae asked.

“Yeah, I’ve always felt guilty that I haven’t signed autographs since I became a zombie.”

“They would have torn you to pieces.”

“They have torn me to pieces.”

Jae cringed. “Yeah, sorry about that day, Minnie.”

“It’s alright. You were still a bastard then.”

Jae put his arm around Changmin’s waist and Changmin put his around the shorter man’s shoulders. As they went inside, flashbulbs and lights went off from the reporters that were being held away from the building.

As soon as they were in the apartment, Jae called for Yoochun. Yoochun met them in the shadowed living room.

“How’s Yunho?” Jae demanded.

“Sleeping.”

“Is it alright if I—” Jae broke off and looked away from him.

Yoochun smiled. “Yeah. You can go in. He won’t be waking up any time soon, though.”

Jae practically flew down the hall.

“How was the meeting?” Yoochun asked.

Junsu grinned, and he and Changmin recounted Lee Sooman’s words and then the encounter with Athena and Ueda. They started talking about other songs to sing. Yoochun said he had a song with an excellent beat about a girl being addicted to a guy after just the first kiss, and then he wanted to finish the love song he was writing.

In the bedroom, Jae was trying not to cry. Thick leather straps, secured on the bed frame, wrapped around Yunho’s wrists and ankles. He was still, so very still, chest just barely rising and falling. His fingers were still lengthened into claws.

Jae fell out of the chair he’d pulled next to the bed and kneeled on the floor. He caressed a claw, knowing that if he pushed harder, the sharp nail would cut through not just his skin, but his bones, too.

“This is the last time this happens,” he whispered, choking out the words. “I’ll take care of you and worry about you, so you don’t have to go through this again. I love you.”

He put his face against Yunho’s rising chest and cried.


	16. Seungri just wanted into my pants and got hungry instead.

The following night, just before sunset, Jaejoong’s phone rang. Jae didn’t take his eyes off Yunho as he dug it from his pocket and answered it.

“Jaejoong? This is Athena. How’s Yunho?”

“The same.”

“Okay, two guys are coming to get him. Kangin and TOP, don’t ask me why his name is TOP, it just is. They should be there in about a half hour. They said to keep him shackled until they get there just in case that sedative wears off too quickly.”

“He opened his eyes yesterday,” Jae muttered. “He didn’t even recognize me.”

“It’s not his fault, Jae. He needs to hunt.”

“I know, it’s just … ”

“I know. Look, Ueda said he’d come and spend the night with you if you need it.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’d be good.”

“Kay, I’ll let him know. Hang in there, Jae. Tomorrow it will be just a bad dream.”

Jae disconnected. Yunho had been twitching for the last couple of hours, growling, mewling, pulling at the restraints, but not waking up. There was a soft knock and then Junsu entered.

“Joongie? I brought you some tea.”

“Thanks, Su. Athena called. Two wolves will be here to get him in about a half hour.”

“I’ll call the front desk.”

“Ueda’s coming over, too.”

“Okay.”

The door clicked shut.

Junsu leaned against the door for a moment and then pushed off. He called down to the front desk and then joined the others in the living room. He settled onto the couch, Yoochun wrapping his arms around him.

“How’s Jae?”

“Same as always. He says those werewolves are on their way.”

The new was on. The anchor lady was saying, “—chaos outside SM Entertainment, although it’s calming down now. The were-animals are all scattering to get to their designated compounds before the full moon rises. The police have forced the faeries and elves to separate sides of the parking lot, so only the strongest of them can throw magic that distance. The zombies, as always, are quiet. Lee Sooman himself has acknowledged the group and says there are no plans to disband them no matter how much the creatures fight.”

Lee Sooman’s face appeared. “These five men are the best thing that’s ever happened to the industry. As soon as you hear their songs, you’ll know what I mean.”

The anchor woman came back. “We did manage to find quite a few people that were excited for the new group.”

Athena’s face appeared. At the bottom is said, “Athena, werecat.” “I’ve met all five of them. They’re really nice, yes, even the vampire. He’s probably the nicest one of them all. We’re holding a support meeting here tomorrow night, and we hope that every creature comes to help support what these guys are doing.”

“We’re not sure what she means by a support meeting,” the anchor lady said, “but I can assure you that we will have a reporter on site to catch all the news. Coming up tonight at ten we will have a brief history of the five members, including the tragic accident that turned one of them into a zombie.”

Changmin scoffed. “Tragic accident. Seungri just wanted into my pants and got hungry instead.”

Junsu laughed.

“I’m hungry,” Changmin said and pulled out his phone. “You guys want something.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Yoochun replied, “but not spicy.”

Changmin ordered. Junsu decided that he couldn’t sit. He paced for a moment and then jumped and grabbed the lowest branch of the tree. He swung himself into the branches. He climbed until he could touch the vaulted ceiling of their apartment.

“Having fun?” Yoochun asked.

He looked down at him, and then grinned. “A bit. It’s relaxing in the trees.” Junsu settled on a weave of branches that wouldn’t have held any one else’s weight and stared at the ceiling.

The doorbell rang about fifteen minutes later, and Junsu climbed down to eat. Yoochun’s nostrils flared and he growled a bit just before there was another knock on the door.

“Werewolves,” he explained.

Junsu rolled his eyes. “So you have to growl at them?”

“Sorry. Instinct.”

Junsu rose and opened the door. The two men on the other side quickly bowed. Both of their eyes had that golden glow.

The shorter and stockier one smiled widely. “Where’s the early shifter at?”

The other one rolled his eyes. “Excuse his manners. I’m called TOP. This is Kangin. May we come in?”

Junsu stepped aside. Both of their eyes widened seeing a full grown tree growing from the middle of the living room. But then they both caught sight and scent of Yoochun. TOP didn’t react, but Kangin bared his teeth.

“Down boy,” Yoochun said with a smirk.

TOP held up a hand and Kangin paused. “As much as I would love to see if you could take both of us, vamp, Athena said you had a half shifted werewolf here.”

“Yeah, this way.” Yoochun headed down the hall.

Jae counted the minutes by how much Yunho moved. His eyelids fluttered more than once. The growling was louder. Golden brown orbs suddenly locked onto his and a low snarl filled the room.

“Hey, Yunho,” Jae whispered.

There was another knock, and Yoochun came in. That gold flashed and the growl deepened.

“He just woke up,” Jae said.

“Come on, those two guys are here to get him.”

Jae stood up, knees aching from kneeling on the floor for so long. He swayed and Yoochun caught him.

“This is Kangin and TOP,” Yoochun said, gesturing to them.

Jae met their golden eyes and tried to smile. “You’ll take care of him, right?”  
“Don’t worry,” TOP said. “He’ll be like new come tomorrow morning. You’re Jae, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It’d be a great idea if the three of you made yourselves scarce,” Kangin said. “If we lose control of him, he’s going after the elf first.”

A particularly loud snarl and jerk against the restraints made them all look at Yunho.

“Yeah, now would be good,” Kangin said.

Yoochun pulled Jae from the room and called for Changmin and Junsu. They all went to Yoochun’s room. He settled Jae on his bed.

There were suddenly shouts, crashes, growling and a couple of ‘God damn it’s from Kangin.

“Crap,” Yoochun said and called security. “Hey, there are a couple of werewolves escorting a very violent and dangerous werewolf out of the building. You guys might want to try to clear the courtyard and please try to get rid of the media.”

“Good luck,” Junsu muttered.

Changmin smiled and then looked down when Jae grabbed his hand. “Lie down with me,” he said.

“Sure, hyung,” Changmin replied. As soon as he lay down, Jae clutched onto him. Changmin held him.

The sounds of a struggle suddenly disappeared and their door slammed.

“I’ll go check first,” Yoochun said. “I’m already dead, and it’ll take quite a bit for a werewolf to surprise me or kill me again.”

Yoochun walked around the apartment, noting the bits of destruction he was sure Jae could easily fix when he was feeling better. He gave the all clear, but only Junsu came out. “Jae doesn’t want to get up.”

The doorbell rang again.

“Faeries and humans,” Yoochun said.

Junsu opened the door. Ueda was there along with Tegoshi and Hongki with his human. Ueda wore skinny blue jeans and a white, billowy shirt, the ties left loose and open. A string of black and brown wooden blocks dangled around his neck. Tegoshi was in skinny white jeans with a blue shirt and Hongki was once again in yellow pants and a white shirt.

Kei, Junsu’s mind supplied. That was her name. She wore a yellow sundress and never tore her eyes from Hongki as they came in.

Ueda smiled. “Hey, we came to offer support.”

“Come on in. Um, Ueda, this is Yoochun, the vampire.”

To Yoochun’s surprise, the faerie held out a hand. “It’s good to meet you.”

Yoochun waited another moment and then shook the hand. “Likewise. Um, I’ll go see if Jae will come out.”

“Wow,” Tegoshi said. “Your tree is huge.”

“I was climbing it earlier,” Junsu said.

“Ooh, can I?”

“Go for it.”

Tegoshi jumped and, hand over hand, pulled himself effortlessly up the tree.

“He could have just flown up there,” Hongki said.

“It’s not the same,” Tegoshi called back.

Ueda went to reply, but quite suddenly had an armful of Jae. He laughed a bit, but held Jae tightly.

“You look like shit, Jae,” he said.

Jae didn’t reply.

“He hasn’t left Yunho’s room in two days,” Changmin said.

“Come join a circle with us,” Ueda said.

Jae sighed. “I haven’t been in a circle for weeks.”

“What’s a circle?” Junsu asked.

“Think of it as faerie meditation,” Ueda said, “but we share our energy. You guys can stay and watch if you want. We’ll do it right here because the tree will ground the energy. Tegoshi, come down.”

The faerie dropped, wings catching him just before he hit the floor.

When Jae broke from Ueda’s arms, he finally showed something on his face. He smirked at Hongki.

“What?”

“Does Heechul know you’re here?”

“I don’t need his permission,” Hongki said.

Jae scoffed. “So that’s a no.”

“Shut up, hyung,” Hongki muttered as they settled on the floor. As soon as they were situated, all four took a deep breath. A soft wind flew around them, and then light danced around the four faeries.

Yoochun hissed against it and made a beeline for his room.

“Oops,” Ueda said. “Should have guessed a vamp couldn’t see this.”

“It’s pretty,” Changmin said, watching the twirling lights. Ever observant, he noticed that the lights around Jae weren’t nearly as bright or bouncy as the others.

Ueda noticed too and tsked at Jae. “Not taking care of yourself,” he muttered. “When was the last time he ate?”

Junsu shrugged. “We brought him food, but he usually wouldn’t eat it.”

The wind picked up, pulling the lights together in a small whirlwind. They moved faster and faster until all they saw was a funnel of light streams. The lights moved and spun around Jae first and then the other three, Ueda being last. He let out a deep breath and the lights split up, shattered almost and went back into the faeries.

When Jae opened his eyes, they shone with that blue tinge of energy that Junsu hadn’t realized was missing. He took a deep breath.

“Feel better?” Ueda asked.

“Yes, thanks.” Jae leaned against him. Ueda held him, and Tegoshi hugged him from the other side.

Hongki’s human crawled over to him and curled up in his lap. She giggled when the excess energy in his system tickled down her body. Hongki’s hand traced a soft circle on her thigh.

“Hyung,” Hongki started, “no offense or anything, but I’m kinda with Heechul on this whole werewolf thing.”

“You better explain what you mean or get the fuck out right now,” Jae said.

“It’s just, well, I think I could understand an elf, because they’re light creatures, too, but a werewolf is—”

Ueda sighed. “No different than the rest of us.”

Hongki let out a hard breath. “Sorry, hyung. I’m trying.”

“At least he’s trying, right Jae?”

Jae let out an annoyed sigh. “I guess.”

v-v

As the full moon rose into the sky, a lone vampire made her way across a deserted field. This was her final chance. Her last chance.

The piercing pain in her back shouldn’t have surprised her, but she gasped anyway, and fell.

Tsuki came to with two pairs of hands dragging her along the ground. She tried to protest but a boot made contact with her ribs.

The ground gave way to cool damp stones. Water trickled near by. She was suddenly lifted and then thrown. She barely caught herself. Shook her head, and pushed to her hands and knees. A pair of black boots entered her field of vision. One of them pushed her back to the ground.

“Stay.”

Someone chuckled above her. “Tsuki, Tsuki, Tsuki. I was wondering when you were going to come and beg me for help.”

Tsuki didn’t dare turn to find the source of the voice.

“Your little plan for leadership has taken an ugly turn, so rumors say.”

Another pair of boots walked into her field of vision. The owner of the boots crouched down, putting his tightly jean-clad crotch right in her line of vision. She shivered.

He laughed. “God, you young ones are so easy to read.” He fell to his knees and put his face right next to hers, lips brushing her cheek. “After hundreds of years, what makes you think you have something different to offer me?”

Tsuki knew it wasn’t an invitation to speak.

He stood up. “Pick her up.”

Rough hands hooked under her arms and lifted her up. She tried to jerk out of them when they set her on her feet. Pain sliced across her cheek. She shut her eyes, and then turned to face the vampire in front of her.

He was as gorgeous as everyone said he was. Tall, muscles, that youthfulness of his twenties that he’d never lose despite how old he got. Brown hair fell in layers around his face and past his shoulders. He wore a deep red shirt, buttons undone, tan skin and muscles on display. And those tight jeans. Tsuki couldn’t help it if she moaned a bit when she looked down that body.

Matsomoto Jun made problems go away.

“I’m assuming you want me to kill Yoochun.” A delicate finger tapped his chin as his tongue ran over a fang.

“No,” she gasped.

A single eyebrow rose. “Explain.”

“Not right away. No.”

He shook his head. “You want him dead or you don’t want him dead. No in between. None of this, you get to have one more night with him bullshit. You think you’re the first to come to me with this? He dies.”

“Then not him.”

“You can’t be clan leader unless he dies.”

“I know, but— I can’t do it.”

Jun sighed. “You’ll get over it. If you live long enough. You’re lucky in a hundred lifetimes to find love just once. Trust me. You’re thinking about killing him and you think you’re in love?”

Tsuki bit back a sob.

“So who? Wait.”

There was silence. And then Jun laughed.

“Let me get this straight. You want me to get rid of the person that manipulated you into getting rid of Yoochun in the first place. The one that tore you two apart?”

“She’s crazy,” Tsuki said.

“And you’re naïve and stupid. Still.” Jun grabbed her chin in his hand. “You have human blood running through you.”

“For you,” she gasped. “It’s not even an hour old.”

“Yamapi.”

Tsuki bit back a cry when a silver knife slid into her neck. She shut her eyes against the pain, but she still whimpered.

“God, I love that sound.”

A finger dug into the wound. Tsuki cracked open an eye. Yamapi, another vampire legend, held his finger out to Jun. Another whimper, a different kind, escaped her as Jun licked Yamapi’s finger clean.

He turned a feral grin at her, showing her full fangs.

“I’ll take the blood,” he growled, “but you’re going to have to think of something else to give me if you want my help.”

“What else—”

“Let’s discuss this in a more private setting, shall we?” He grabbed her by the neck, fingers digging into the cut, and dragged her into a back room. He threw her inside and then snapped at Yamapi, “Go warn him.”

v-v

Moonlight danced off gray hairs and reflected yellow in gold eyes. Close. So close. A howl cut through the air. Another answered. Too many, there were always too many. The urge to fight for his territory was strong, but the urge to eat was stronger. It pulled him, deeper into the trees, following the scent. Downwind. Always downwind. But he knew the air currents. And if he didn’t move soon, the wind would shift. A few more quiet paces.

A spark of adrenaline in the air.

Bolting. The chase. Mouth closing over a pulsing neck. Down, bring it down. Until it’s still.

The wolf smirked. Easy.


	17. Five swallows. That’s it.

Yoochun paced the roof. He hated full moon nights. It wasn’t enough to burn his skin, but it made people crazy. It made vampires careless and daring. And he did not need a careless and daring vampire attacking him tonight. He missed the feel of Junsu’s warm body next to his and wondered when he was actually going to get to spend more than two hours lying next to him.

Yoochun turned with a snarl. A shadow moved on the roof.

“Good thing you’re being cautious,” a male voice whispered.

“Yamapi?” Yoochun said in disbelief. “Sheesh. First Daniela, and now you. What does Jun want?”

“What if I want something?”

Yamapi stepped into the light, and Yoochun’s breath caught. It was not fair that someone could be so incredibly attractive. His black hair was shorter than the last time he’d seen it, but it still fell into his dark eyes. His skin practically glowed in the moonlight.

Yamapi had been the one that turned him all those years ago. Seduced him quite thoroughly in the boys’ locker room in college.

“It’s good to see you,” Yoochun said, “but I’m assuming this isn’t a social call.”

Yamapi smiled as he stepped closer. “Not even a kiss hello.” He tsked.

“Sorry, I’m currently taken.”

“And I’d have to say he’s an elf based on the blood running through your veins.”

“Yeah.”

“Cute. Anyway. Jun sent me here to warn you.”

“That my old clan wants to kill me, yeah. I already know that.”

“No.” He leaned against the edge of the roof. “Tsuki is currently paying him a visit.”

Yoochun flipped around. “What?”

“What do you mean what? Tsuki went to Jun. We all thought it was to kill you, but it’s not you she wants dead.”

“Who is it then?”

“I’m sure you remember Alexandra.”

“What?” He screamed that.

Yamapi laughed. “I know. Crazy, huh? She wants to kill the one that she conspired with to have you kicked out of your clan and killed. She has this weird feeling about you that she calls love, but it’s really not much more than a desperation to have things be the way they used to be.”

Yoochun was barely listening. His brain was on overload.

“Fuck,” he said as pieces clicked together. “It wasn’t Tsuki. Shit and utter fuck!”

“Care to explain?”

“Tsuki paid me a visit a few days ago. She begged me to come back and lead the clan, that they were falling apart without me.”

“You always were a bit too compassionate for a vampire. They would have killed you.”

“I know. We found a human girl with punctures in her neck, and found out later that her friend was missing. We thought it was Tsuki.”

“And?”

“And this human friend’s name is Lexy.”

Yamapi stilled.

“Fuck, I need to talk to Sahar. The human,” he added before Yamapi could ask.

“You need to take care of this,” Yamapi said.

“I don’t have fucking time for this.”

“Jun would do it.”

Yoochun narrowed his eyes. “I don’t need Jun to clean up after me.”

“He’ll help you.”

“For what price?”

Yamapi shrugged. “You know I can’t decide that.”

“If Jun wants to help me, then so be it. I can’t stop him, but he’ll do it on his own. I’m not asking for his help.”

“Fine.”

They stood in silence for a moment and then Yamapi turned to him with a playful smile. “Hey, Chunnie,” he said, all innocent and sweet.

Yoochun sighed. He pulled the sleeve back on his sweater and said, “Five swallows. That’s it.”

Yamapi actually squealed like he’d been told he could take it all. He grabbed Yoochun’s wrist, slid his fangs into skin and sucked. God, the taste of Yoochun’s skin was almost as good as the blood. He needed to learn to contact Yoochun when the vampire wasn’t in a relationship.

“That’s enough,” Yoochun said, but Yamapi managed half a swallow before Yoochun pulled away.

“Fuck that blood is amazing.”

“I know.”

Yamapi, with a loopy smile on his face, leaned back against the wall. “So are you really going to debut like the news says?”

“As of right now, yeah. We’ll see what happens later. I may end up dying in the next week. Lexy is vicious.”

“They always are when they’re turned that young. I don’t envy you the next week. Just consider Jun’s offer.”

“If he’s offering, then yes, I’ll take it. If he wants something for it, then no. Tell him to fuck himself.”

Yamapi thought about that and shivered. “I’d rather do that, thanks.”

Yoochun scoffed. “You’re his little bitch.”

“And I enjoy every moment of it. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m going to go get Tsuki away from him.”

Yoochun sighed.

“Don’t you dare care about her,” Yamapi said. “She was going to kill you. Her original request was one more night with you before Jun killed you, but Jun refused. Anything he gives her, she deserves. And you know he won’t kill a fellow vampire unless there’s something in it for him, so rest assured, she’ll still be alive.”

“I know. It’s the compassion thing.”

Yamapi pulled him into a hug, placed a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be in touch.”

v-v

Lexy watched them. Watched them and sneered. If Yamapi was there, then that meant Tsuki had betrayed her. She wasn’t completely surprised.

First Daniela and now Yamapi, and Yamapi represented Jun.

She did not want to go up against Jun. And she knew that Daniela would not take Yoochun’s death lightly.

She had to do this quickly. Tsuki would have to go first.

Lexy hurried through the courtyard, knowing that Yoochun watched her.

v-v

The sun rose. The day restarted.

Yoochun closed the curtains in the kitchen and paced. The living room had been turned into a faerie sleepover, and Junsu was still sleeping. Lexy was after him, Lexy had been the one whispering lies about him. Had stood next to Tsuki when she told him to leave.

But Tsuki isn’t innocent in this, he reminded himself. You know she wanted to be the leader by herself.

“Problems?” Ueda asked.

Yoochun waved him away. “Lots and lots and lots and lots of problems.”

“That’s a lot of problems.”

Jae shuffled into the kitchen. He didn’t really notice Yoochun’s bad temper as he cuddled up to the vampire and cooed a “good morning” at him.

Yoochun pushed him away. “Not a good morning. Yunho needs to get his ass back here now and then we have to have a meeting and I need to talk to Sahar and … DAMN IT!” He picked up a chair and threw it across the kitchen.

Jae’s eyebrows rose, and he looked at Ueda.

Ueda shrugged. “Problems, I guess.”

Junsu staggered into the kitchen. “Chunnie, what’s wrong? Why didn’t you come to bed?”

“Problems of some sort,” Jae replied, and the two faeries giggled.

“Chunnie,” Junsu said, voice almost whimpering.

Yoochun took a deep breath, and then moved to the elf, clutching him, and holding him and—

“Why are there fang marks on your wrist?”

_Fuck._

Before he could reply, the doorbell rang. Jae smiled and with a shout of Yunho’s name, flew through the kitchen.

“That energy thing you guys did made him a bit annoying,” Yoochun muttered.

Ueda smiled. “He needed it.”

Jae flung the door open, and then frowned. Yunho was being carried by the two burly werewolves. Athena was behind them.

“What’s wrong with him?”

At the sound of his voice, Yunho looked over. His eyes were still golden, but not feral and he grinned, and then giggled. “Joongie!” He tried to pull away from the others, but just fell and Jae helped stabilize him.

Yunho nuzzled his neck. “Nothing wrong now,” he muttered.

“He needs to go sleep it off,” TOP said. “It’s like he’s had about fifty shots of tequila in less than an hour. He should be alright in a few hours.”

“Joongie, miss me?” Yunho said in a squeaky voice.

Jae smiled. “Yes, I missed you.”

Kangin tugged Yunho away, but he pouted and clung to Jae and said, “No. Stay with Joongie.”

Kangin rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

“Come on, Yunho,” Jae said, putting his arms around him and guiding him through the hall.

“So many faeries,” Yunho sang and then giggled. “Hi faeries.”

“This is not good,” Yoochun said. “We’re supposed to be at the company already.”

“Yeah, well, fangs,” Kangin said, and then TOP held up his hand and quieted him.

“It’s like you want the vampire to attack you, isn’t it?” TOP said, and then turned to Yoochun. “Sorry. Yunho’s going to need a good six hours of sleep. After his pre-shift and then the amount of food he ate last night, he’s going to be worthless.”

Yoochun sighed.

“Thanks for taking care of him,” Jae called from the hallway.

“We’d love to stay and chat,” Athena said, “but we have a support to organize today. You guys will come?”

Junsu nodded. “Yeah, at sunset.”

“Good.”

Pleasantries were exchanged and then all the guests were gone.

“Okay,” Junsu said. “Bite on your wrist?”

“Later,” Yoochun snapped and turned to Changmin. “Is your fan, Sahar, out in the courtyard?”

“I’ll go check.”

“If she is, tell her to come up. I need to ask her some questions, okay.”

“Sure.”

“You,” he said, pointing to Junsu, “call Lee Sooman. Tell him we’re not going anywhere today. I need to fucking break something.”

Hurt flew through Junsu like a flame, aching. “Okay,” he said, but Yoochun was already down the hall in the bathroom, destroying things.

“Don’t worry, hyung,” Changmin said and gave the shorter man a hug. “He’s a bit stressed, and I’m sure we’ll find out why soon.”

Jae barely managed to get them to the bed when Yunho fell boneless onto it.

“Joongie-ah, love you, Joongie.”

“I love you, too, Yunho, but you need to sleep.”

“No sleep,” he muttered and tightened his hold around Jae. He nuzzled at his neck again, open kisses and bites.

Jae shuddered.

“Kiss me, Joongie.”

“Maybe when you’re coherent enough to remember it.”

Yunho pouted and flung him away. “Stupid faerie.”

Almost immediately, Yunho was asleep.

Jae sighed in relief. He pulled Yunho’s jeans and shirt off, covered him with a blanket. With a soft kiss on his forehead, Jae said, “Sleep well, my wolf.”

He went into the living room. Tension filled the air. Junsu pouted at the pacing vampire. Changmin was eating something.

“How’s Yunho?” Changmin asked.

“He’s asleep. Alright, Yoochun. Spill. What’s up?”

“Last night, I got a visit from a vampire named Yamapi.”

“The Yamapi?” Jae said, eyes wide.

“You’ve heard of him?”

Jae nodded. “He’s the best looking vampire in the entire world.”

Yoochun scoffed. “Believe me, I know. Yamapi is the vampire that turned me. We have been off and on lovers for about a hundred years now. Anyway, he works for Matsumoto Jun. Does that name ring a bell?”

“Not really.”

“Good. Jun is who you go to when you have a problem that needs to go away, but there’s always a price for it. Tsuki went to see him yesterday.”

“To kill you?”

“No. To kill the vampire that undermined me and kicked me out of the clan. A vampire named Alexandra.”

A timid knock sounded on the door. Changmin rose to open it.

“Hello, Sahar.”

“Hi, Changmin-shi.”

“Come in.”

Sahar looked at them all with wide eyes as she sat down.

“I’ll go get some tea,” Changmin said.

“Sahar,” Yoochun started, and then took a deep breath when the girl flinched. “I need you to tell me everything you can about the day you were attacked. Can you do that?”

“Well, Yoochun oppa, it was … not really. I mean. I was sitting outside like I always do right before school and I had to leave but I was waiting for you guys.”

Changmin handed her a teacup.

“Thank you, oppa.”

“Was Lexy with you?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, she was always with me.”

“Okay, then what happened?”

“Then this girl came out of your building and towards us and then that’s all I can remember until I woke up in Sylver’s bed.” She blushed.

“Do you remember what Lexy smelled like?”

Sahar’s nose crinkled up. “Coconut. Always coconut. She said it was because she had a skin condition and had to wear a lot of sunscreen.”

“Fuck,” Yoochun muttered and continued his pacing.

Changmin stood up quickly and said, “Sahar, how about I walk you to school today?”

The girl choked on her tea. “Really, oppa?”

“Yeah, come on. You’re going to be late if we don’t hurry.”

“Be careful,” Junsu said. “Take a few security guards with you.”

“I will,” Changmin said, and shut the door behind them.

“I’m going to go check on Yunho,” Jae said and practically flew out of the living room.

“Yoochun,” Junsu whispered.

Yoochun shot annoyed eyes at him, and Junsu gasped. Yoochun went back to pacing.

“Fine,” Junsu said and stood up. “If you don’t want to talk to me and make me sit here and think that you let another vampire taste my blood, and not just another vampire but an old lover of yours, and what else did you let him do to you, and I’m just going to sit here and take it. God, I … just fucking talk to me.”

Yoochun hugged him from behind and placed a kiss on his neck. “Sorry. Having someone out to kill you is a bit stressful.”

Junsu scoffed.

“Yamapi and I are friends. I hadn’t seen him in almost ten years. All he did was come and warn me about Lexy. He asked me for a taste of your blood and I gave him one. Nothing long, and yes, he kissed my cheek when he left.”

“Yes, well. I don’t know how I feel about that. It’s not your blood to pass around, you know.”

“If it was Jun that had come, he would have demanded it all before he told me anything.”

“And you would have given it to him?”

Yoochun thought about it. “Yeah. For information I would.”

“That kind of hurts.”

“It’s the truth though. Jun is incredibly powerful. If he comes to you with information, you know you’re going to want to know what it is, and you should do what he wants in order to get it. Would you rather I had lied to you?”

“No. I could tell when you were lying, and that would hurt worse.”

Yoochun spun him around and then held him tighter. “I won’t say love, not yet,” he whispered, “but Junsu, you make me happy. I haven’t been happy for a long time.”

“Really?”

“Really really. And you know, I can’t help but notice that we’re pretty much free to do whatever we want for the next few hours.”

“Right. You could practice your dancing.”

Yoochun looked at him. “Dancing.”

Junsu grinned. “Sure. You even have a private tutor. I can show you how to get your body to move more fluidly.” Junsu did a body wave against him. “I’m sure we’re going to be putting hip thrusts into our dances and you should definitely practice those.”

Yoochun shivered and dragged Junsu down the hall. “Probably shouldn’t practice in the living room though.”

v-v

Four hours later, Yunho groaned and rolled over. Right into another warm body.

“You coherent now?” Jae asked.

Yunho groaned again and curled closer to him, pressing his face into Jae’s chest. Jae wrapped his arms around him.

“What day is it?” Yunho muttered.

“Day after the full moon.”

“Shit.”

“I was so worried about you.”

Yunho shifted so they were more entwined and his face was pressed into Jae’s neck. “I remember. It sucks being like that because I’m aware of everything, but I can’t control anything. Thanks for taking care of me.”

“Do you need anything?”

“No. Just more sleep.”

“Okay.”

“Stay?” Yunho whispered, hands clutching at Jae’s shirt.

“Of course.”

v-v

Yamapi knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

He entered on a sight he was too used to seeing. Naked bodies, blood, a very satisfied Jun smoking a cigarette he didn’t need.

“Those will kill you one day,” Yamapi said.

Jun laughed, and then sniffed. “Care to explain to me why you smell like elf blood?”

“Yoochun is dating an elf. He gave me a couple of swallows.”

“What did Yoochun say?”

“He won’t ask for help, but he’ll take it if you’re offering.”

Tsuki suddenly gasped. Jun looked over at her thoughtfully.

“You have an idea,” Yamapi said.

“I won’t work for free, even for Yoochun, but maybe … call her, would you? Set up a meeting for me.”

“Of course.”

“Then come back and have a little fun.”


	18. Excuse me for being nervous.

When Yunho’s eyes opened again, there was no pain. He shifted a bit and there was no ache in his body. He propped himself on his elbows. No nausea. Thank god.

Jae shifted next to him. Yunho smiled, rolled over and sat up. Before he could stand, Jae wrapped around him. “Going somewhere?”

“Shower.”

Jae frowned.

“I need it. And if I told you what I looked like when Kangin found me and took a cold hose to my body, you would want to take one, too.”

“How—”

“Trust me. You don’t want to know,” Yunho said and stood up.

“So you remember this morning?”

Yunho shrugged. “No. I just know from experience.”

Jae stayed on the bed as Yunho left the room. So the wolf didn’t remember saying that he loved him. Just as well. He probably didn’t mean it anyway. Just the delirium talking. But Jae hadn’t been lying. He loved Yunho.

He sighed and got up. Yunho was going to be hungry soon. He sauntered into the kitchen. Changmin was there, a bowl of rice in front of him, reading a stack of letters.

“What are those?”

“Hate mail.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, there’s a pile of it down at the security desk. I called Lee Sooman-shi and he said that he’d get it stopped right away, but I was curious.”

“What’s it say?”

“Ah, it’s all full of the same ‘I’m better than that creature’ bullshit. I’m starting to think that our first single is going to fuel the fire and not make things better. Maybe we should have sang what SM gave us.”

Jae met his eyes, and then they both burst out laughing.

“Don’t let Yoochun hear you say that.”

“I’m not stupid.”

“I’m going to make a bunch of food. Are you still going to be hungry?”

Changmin gave him a look that made Jae laugh again.

“Okay, okay. Stupid question.”

Jae started coffee. He put cream and almond flavoring in a cup, and then went about pulling vegetables and noodles and meat from the cupboards. The chicken was sizzling when a pair of warm arms wrapped around his middle.

“Morning,” Yunho mumbled.

“It’s almost three in the afternoon,” Changmin said.

“Whatever. Where’s Yoosu at?”

“Fucking,” Changmin said. “For the last. Eight. Hours.”

“Lucky them,” Yunho said with a kiss to the back of Jae’s neck.

Jae shivered and pulled away. “Don’t you want coffee?” He poured hot coffee into the cup and handed it to him. Jae met his eyes and prayed that he had hidden his nerves deep enough that Yunho couldn’t tell. What if he didn’t love him? What if he was throwing his heart and, ultimately, who he was at Yunho’s feet just to have them stepped on and returned broken and shattered?

Yunho stared at him a moment before taking it. “Thanks.” He turned and frowned, sitting at the table, thinking. Where did his incredibly flirty, smiling faerie go? Did his early shifting scare him away, and now he didn’t want anything to do with him?

“Ah, so our werewolf is awake,” Yoochun said.

“Ah, so our vampire finally put it back in his pants,” Changmin said.

Yoochun smirked. “Is he back to normal or is he still loopy?”

“As normal as I can be,” Yunho said.

“You were quite a sight. Clinging to Jae, calling him ‘Joongie’ like some love-sick puppy.”

“Shut up, Yoochun,” Jae said. “It wasn’t his fault.”

“No, it was,” Yunho said. “I wasn’t taking care of myself. I should know better than that.”

“Like you were any better,” Yoochun said to Jaejoong, “or do you not actually remember giving me a hug this morning?”

Jae glowered at him and turned back to the food. They all caught something about burning Yoochun’s dinner and laughed.

Junsu practically floated into the kitchen and bypassed them all to sit in Yoochun’s lap. They kissed deeply.

Changmin threw a clump of rice at the back of Junsu’s head. “Knock it off.”

“Someone’s jealous ‘cause he hasn’t gotten any lately,” Yoochun said.

“I’m a zombie. Do you know how hard it is to find a date when you’re a zombie?”

“One of your fangirls will date you.”

“They’re like my little sisters.”

“Here.” Jae slammed dishes and trays down on the table, flicking his fingers in irritation when some of the food spilled. And then he turned away.

Yunho grabbed his wrist. “Jae, what’s wrong?”

Jae jerked free and left the kitchen.

Yunho turned confused looks to the rest of them. They shrugged. “Don’t know. He seemed happy enough earlier,” Junsu said.

Yunho’s stomach growled as he got up from the table and went to Jae’s room. The door was locked.

“Jae?” he said as he softly knocked.

“You should be eating,” came the reply.

“What’s wrong, Joongie?” he whispered.

“Go eat.”

Yunho asked again, and then again, but Jae didn’t say anything else. He sighed and said, “I’m going to go eat.”

He sat down and brooded. Yes, he did eat. But the food didn’t taste as good as it would have had Jae been sitting next to him. His pre-shift had definitely ruined everything. He pushed his plate away, dropped his head on his arms and wanted to cry. Wanted to, but couldn’t. Not at the table.

Changmin put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Whatever you’re thinking is wrong. He loves you, but you’re both probably thinking the other doesn’t and really the only way to work through that is to force a conversation with him.”

“Force one?”

“Yeah. He’s not used to feeling vulnerable. You have to remember that. He’s used to getting what he wants just because he’s a faerie, but with you, I know he doesn’t want that.”  
Yunho nodded.

“Go knock on his door again,” Junsu said. “I’ll unlock it, and if you’re quick, you can get in before he locks it again.”

Yunho walked down the hall. Was it even worth it? Better to just cut things off now without even a kiss. Yunho stopped and leaned against the wall. A kiss? Kissing Jaejoong. On the lips. How different would it be kissing a guy instead of a girl? Well, if the way his body shuddered was any indication, he wanted to find out.

He took the last couple of steps, grasped the doorknob and knocked. After the first knock, the lock clicked open and he quickly opened the door.

“Damn it, Junsu!” Jae shouted, and then flung himself on his side, facing away from Yunho.

“Talk to me,” Yunho said. He shut the door and leaned against it.

“No.”

Yunho took a deep breath. Force a conversation, okay. He could do this.

“Is this because of me pre-shifting and now you don’t want to be with me because you know what kind of monster I can be?”

Jae sat up quickly. “What?”

“Look, I … ” Yunho couldn’t meet those eyes anymore. He memorized the wood floor under his bare feet. He opened his mouth to say something and instead, found himself with an armful of faerie. Pressed against the door, arms around his waist, coffee-colored hair in his face. Yunho definitely liked this. He wrapped his arms around Jae and pulled him closer.

“Why would you even think that?” Jae whispered.

“Well, you’ve been weird and you’re a faerie and you like nice things and a half-shifted werewolf is not a nice thing and, god, you’re beautiful, Jae. How am I supposed to even compare to you?”

“I just—this is hard, Yunnie. I’ve known you for a week and already given you more of myself than I even knew existed and it’s scary. And what if you don’t want it and what if you decide to go after some pack girl like Yoochun says you probably will? And what if—”

“What if you just shut up, kiss me, and then we’ll see where things go?”

Jae pulled away, eyes wide. “Really?”

Yunho rolled his eyes. “You think if I didn’t want to I would have broken into your room?”

When Jae continued to stare at him, Yunho took a deep breath. He picked Jae up, turned them, slammed Jae against the door and kissed him. He was sure he was shaking, but so was Jae, so it didn’t really matter. Jae’s lips were every bit as soft as they looked, although Yunho realized he was pushing way too hard on them. He pulled back, just enough that he wasn’t crushing Jae, but Jae whimpered and hands grabbed the back of his head and pulled him forward again and Yunho stopped thinking.

And felt.

Felt the way his lips scraped across Jae’s.

Felt the pressure of those hands at his neck, the shift of bodies, the friction of a thigh rubbing against him. Opening his mouth to moan and the swipe of a hesitant tongue across his bottom lip.

Yunho whimpered, met the tongue and his hands slid to Jae’s hips, tugged on the belt loops of his jeans, bodies flush, and that was the difference, Yunho decided. There was nothing soft about Jae’s body. Muscles, angles, hip bones, shoulders. And they fit together.

Yunho held Jae’s hips against the door and slid against him.

Jae broke away from the kiss with a cry, head thunking against the door, back arching off it. Yunho ran his tongue down Jae’s throat, over his Adam’s apple, along his collar bone, over the tank top and to his shoulder and then back.

Jae wanted to say something, anything, or do something, anything. Moans and whimpers escaped his throat. His hands clutched at Yunho’s hips. This was better than he ever thought it would be. He’d pictured Yunho as being docile and scared, not possessive and willing and eager and so very in control. He should have assumed. The guy was a wolf.

And was he growling? For the love of – he was growling. It vibrated into his throat, down his skin and rushed straight to the lower regions of his body.

Yunho’s teeth closed around a soft divot of his neck. “Enough standing?” he said, words distorted from the growls.

Jae exhaled what sounded like a yes. It was enough for Yunho and he tossed him to the bed. Jae landed with an oof, and then propped himself up on his elbows. Every doubt he had about Yunho’s sincerity was lost as the wolf stalked over to him, eyes golden, hands pulling his shirt over his head, teeth bared in a possessive grin. Jae couldn’t look at him anymore, he shut his eyes, leaned his head back and moaned.

Yunho crawled between Jae’s spread legs and knelt on the bed. He latched onto Jae’s hips and tugged, sliding Jae until their crotches pressed together. Jae’s body arched and met Yunho’s thrust. His legs wrapped around Yunho’s body.

This made no sense to Jae. His energy was going insane, flinging around his body. He rarely had another faerie whose energy complemented his so well.

Yunho shivered.

“Do you feel it?” Jae whispered.

Yunho nodded. “Yeah. You’re eyes are blue, and it’s … god, it’s, tingly.”

Jae laughed.

Yunho slid his hands up Jae’s chest, bunching the t-shirt in his fists.

“Do you like this shirt?” Yunho demanded.

“Yes.”

Yunho tore it off. Jae propped up on his elbows again, a frown on his face as he looked at the tatters of the blue shirt. But then Yunho leaned forward and licked his nipple. Oh fuck, who cares about a damn shirt? Jae leaned back, hands going to Yunho’s hair. Yunho continued to thrust against his body.

God, Yunho’s hands were divine. Firm fingers, steady pressure, up his sides and then down over his stomach. His cock was so hard. He reached down to undo his pants, but Yunho growled a reprimand, and then those hands were grabbing his wrists, pinning them above his head.

“Fuck.” The word slipped past Yunho lips just before closing his mouth around a patch of skin above Jae’s nipple. Jae keened, legs tightening around Yunho’s lower back.

“Yunho, please,” Jae whispered. “Let me touch you.”

Yunho shivered, and released his hands. Jae immediately wrapped his arms around Yunho’s back, hands and fingers memorizing the curve of muscles. And then he pushed his hand between their bodies and undid Yunho’s jeans. He whimpered when his hands hit more skin instead of boxers. The amount of energy flowing between them tripled.

“God, Jaejoong,” Yunho said, that growl still in his voice.

Jae latched on to Yunho’s cock and stroked. Yunho’s eyes shut at the feel of Jae’s soft hand wrapped around him. He pushed up to his knees suddenly. Watched Jae touch him. Shit.

Yunho’s cock was gorgeous like the rest of him. Long, thick and pulsing under Jae’s hand. Jae pushed his jeans down further. Yunho supported himself on elbows and knees and eventually his jeans were kicked to the ground.

Their lips met in a wet kiss, a kiss full of growls and whimpers, until Yunho’s mind cleared enough to reach between them and with shaking hands, he unsnapped Jae’s jeans.

“Hurry, Yunho, please. Touch me.”

Yunho grabbed Jae’s cock as soon as it was free. They both groaned, and Jae arched into the touch. Yunho’s hand was harsh, rough as it tugged the skin and jerked.

Jae was in heaven. Agonizing, sweet, glorious heaven. And then their bodies aligned, skin on skin replacing their hands and Jae couldn’t think anymore. They thrust against each other, lips, tongues and breath lost in the heat and sweat and growls. Jae’s manicured nails scrapped across Yunho’s shoulders. He broke away from his mouth with a scream and his body shook and he came between their bodies.

Breath gasping, Yunho slowed his movements, his own cock aching to come but he knew he wouldn’t yet.

“God, Yunho,” Jae whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Just … fuck.”

Yunho chuckled, kissed Jae’s cheek and then pushed back to his knees. Jae lay under him, legs wrapped loosely around his hips. His chest rose and fell in deep gasps. Yunho licked his finger and swirled it around a nipple. Jae cried out again and arched up.

And then Yunho laughed.

“What?”

Yunho dragged his finger down Jae’s perfect abs and through the come on his skin. “Did you know that your come sparkles?”

Jae scoffed. “Made of light remember?”

“Yeah, but it’s just … it’s like you mixed it with glitter.”

Jae’s eyes narrowed as Yunho continued to laugh. Jae sat up, harshly grabbing Yunho’s erect cock. “You want this taken care of, puppy?” Jae muttered.

Yunho fought back a smile. “Sorry, Jae. I can’t help it.”

“Well, fuck you, Fido. You don’t see me making fun of your growling, do you?”

Yunho leaned close, bared his teeth and growled. “You like it.” He brought his come covered finger up to his mouth and licked it. It reminded him of a cool glass of water on a hot summer day. “And I like your bedazzled come.” He pushed Jae to his back and then slid down the bed. He lapped up the come around Jae’s still hard cock, never breaking eye contact with Jae unless Jae’s eyes shut with a moan.

“Can I play with your wings now?” Yunho whispered, tonguing the slit of Jae’s cock.

“Fuck, yes,” Jae said and flipped around fast enough that he almost kicked Yunho in the face.

Yunho stared down at Jae’s back. His wings were partially spread, the edges fluttering as Jae’s back rose and fell with deep breaths.

“What do I do?” Yunho asked.

“Touch them, gently. If you’re too harsh, you’ll break them, and fuck that would hurt.”

Yunho took a single finger and traced the edge of one wing. Jae shivered. He moved it farther up, until the harder wing turned to skin at Jae’s shoulders. He traced down his spine until he came to the other juncture of wing and then traced up along the rest of the wing.

“Fuck, Yunho, that feels so good.”

“Why?”

Jae chuckled, back arching a bit as Yunho moved to the other wing. “Nerve endings. It’s like … the wings collect the light and energy we need to survive … and … yeah … sensitive to temperature, and … heat … so much heat.”

“Not enough,” Yunho whispered. He pressed his hard cock against Jae’s ass, tiny thrusts that Jae arched into. His mouth closed around the edge of a wing, and then he ran his tongue along the webbing. It was sort of like licking plastic wrap, but felt more like skin and warmth.

“Fuck, Yunho, fuck me, please.”

“I haven’t done this before, but I do know that I’m going to need some lube.”

Jae held out a hand and flicked his fingers, a drawer opened and then a blue bottle landed in his palm.

Yunho laughed. “Never thought you’d use your magic for something useful.”

“Shut up and fuck me.”

Yunho set the lube next to his knee. “I think I’ll play a bit more if you don’t mind,” he said and kissed the swell of Jae’s ass and up his body, leaving teeth imprints along his lower back. Jae’s wings fluttered against his face and shoulders. He held Jae’s hips tightly and then ran a gentle tongue up the edges of Jae’s wings.

“Oh, fuck, Yunho, please.” Jae thrust against the bed, hands stretched above his head, clutching the bed spread.

Yunho licked back down Jae’s body, until he lay on the bed, Jae’s ass in his face. He kissed each cheek, and then bit down on one pale globe.

“Fuck!” Jae shouted and jerked up. Yunho held him down, biting the other, then licking the bites until Jae’s ass was red and quivering. He spread Jae’s cheeks. The first tendril of doubt curled through him. Nerves surfaced. Jae’s body was small, tight, and he didn’t want to hurt him.

“It’s not going to fuck itself,” Jae said.

Yunho glanced up. Jae had twisted around. He stared at him with one perfectly arched eyebrow.

“Excuse me for being nervous,” Yunho said.

“Lick me,” Jae said. “Lick me, and then cover your fingers with lube and finger me until you feel comfortable enough and then fucking fuck me.”

“Your sensitivity to my feelings is reassuring.”

Jae scoffed. “I can be sensitive later. Right now, I want you inside me.”

Yunho smirked, without breaking eye contact, he leaned forward. He tightened his grip on Jae’s ass and then licked him, top to bottom. Jae fell back to the bed with a groan. Yunho smiled, and then licked him again. His body smelled like heavy sunlight, again, like the summer sun at high noon where you could just taste the heat on your tongue. Yunho growled and it made Jaejoong shiver.

“Hurry, Yunho, please. I want you.”

Yunho concentrated his tongue on Jaejoong’s opening. Licking and pushing a bit.

“More, please, more. I want more.”

“Fingers?”

“Fuck yes, please.”

Yunho grabbed the bottle of lube and covered his fingers. He touched a slickened finger to Jae’s hole and then pushed. Jae hissed and arched up, forcing the finger deeper. He moaned.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, it’s just … long … been … a long time. More, Yunho, please more.”

Yunho grinned. “My pleasure.” He pushed the finger deeper.

“No, two, please. Fuck. I want to come with you inside me and if you … I can’t … Yunho, please.”

Yunho added a second finger. The muscles along Jae’s ass and back shivered, his wings shook. Jae kept begging. He added more lube to his fingers before attempting a third.

“That’s enough, Yunnie. Too much. Please.”

After a couple more twists, Yunho pulled out of Jae’s body. He stared at the quivering hole, at Jae’s shaking body.

“Now what?” Yunho whispered.

With difficulty, Jae pushed to his hands and needs. “God, I had to find a stupid wolf, didn’t I? Shove your cock in my ass.”

Yunho laughed. With that firm grip, he grabbed Jae’s hips and slid his cock over Jae’s hole. “It won’t fit,” he whispered, leaning forward run his tongue down Jae’s spine.

“Oh, fuck … just … fuck …”

Yunho’s laugh lowered to a growl as Jae started thrusting back. He held Jae still, took his cock in his other hand and pressed it against Jae’s hole. Jae immediately pushed back and they both practically screamed.

“Fuck, Yunho, more.”

Yunho pulled out, eyes crossing, deep growl emanating from his chest. He thrust back in. And again. And then he was pressed against Jae’s body. He had to stop, vision swimming. He placed a hand on Jae’s lower back, and then Jae moved, pulling a moan from Yunho’s mouth. He watched in awe as his cock disappeared into Jae’s body.

“Yunho, please, I can’t …”

Jae was dying. Finally, a cock worthy of being inside of him was inside of him and just sitting there. Not moving. He whimpered, pressed back. And then those hands grabbed his hips so tightly that Jae knew he’d be bruised in the morning.

“Hard, Yunho.”

And he finally moved, using Jae’s hips to anchor his thrusts forward.

“Faster,” Jae begged.

“No.”

Jae’s body quivered under him, muscles tightening and wings jerking. It was more beautiful than he imagined.

“God, you’re gorgeous, Jaejoong,” he growled.

Jae managed a smile over his shoulder. “I know.”

Yunho grinned back and then concentrated back on his body. Their moans increased, decreased and waved through the room. Sweat shined on Jae’s skin.

“Jae, I want to kiss you,” Yunho said suddenly.

“Stop then.”

“Maybe I don’t want to kiss you.”

Jae laughed and pulled away. Yunho groaned and Jae rolled to his back. He hooked an ankle around Yunho’s hip. Yunho fell over him, hands on the sides of Jae’s face. He pressed their lips together and growled. Jae whimpered, arched up enough to wrap his legs around Yunho’s body. Yunho pressed forward, growl deepening as he slid back into Jae’s body.

“God, this is so much better,” Yunho said against his lips.

“Why?”

“Because I can look at you.”

Jae smiled. “Stop with the cheesiness.”

“You love being reminded that you’re gorgeous.”

“I’m sweaty and …” Jae’s broke off with a groan as Yunho sped up his movement.

“And …”

“I have a werewolf in my bed.”

Yunho chuckled, moving his lips to Jae’s neck. “Sweaty and disheveled, remember? You’re still gorgeous.”

“What do I do about the werewolf?”

Yunho sped up again.

Jae shut his eyes. “Fuck.”

“Then I see no problems here.”

Jae screamed as Yunho thrust into him harder. Jae clutched at Yunho’s back, trying vainly to think but losing himself in pleasure. So much pleasure. And then a hand grabbed his cock, stroked hard and rough. Yunho licked his nipples, a steady growl echoing through Jae’s body.

“Oh, fuck, Yunho, fuck. Fuck!” Jae screamed.

He came again, and Yunho’s body jerked as energy from Jae’s fingers shot into his shoulders and zigged through his body.

“Jae, fu—“ he growled. His movements went erratic. The pleasure intensified and the energy from Jae exploded from him and he came, vision going black and spotty.

He fell to the side, Jae coming with him and their lips met in a kiss. Eager, deep. Energy continued to spark through both of their bodies.

“God, Jae … that was … shit.”

“I’m amazing. I know.”


	19. I promised Athena that we’d be at her support thing.

Jae woke up grinning.

“Hey!” Yoochun yelled and pounded on the door.

Jae’s smile fell.

“You guys need to get up. We have to go to Athena’s support thing.”

_Guys?_

The warm body next to him shifted.

Oh, yeah. That’s why he was happy.

“I’m so tired of that damn vampire waking me up,” Yunho grumbled.

Jae giggled. “Wanna see a neat trick?”

Yunho lifted his head enough to give Jae an incredulous look.

Jae winked at him and sat up. Yunho rolled to his side. Jae held out his right hand.

Yoochun knocked again.

Light sparked and gathered in Jae’s palm.

“Jae,” Yunho admonished.

“Calm down. It’ll just sting him a bit.” Jae closed his fingers around it, narrowing the light to a pinprick at the top. With an almost indiscernible movement, a narrow stream of light left Jae’s hand and went straight through the keyhole on the doorknob.

Yoochun yelped. “Damn it, Jae.”

Jae burst into a fresh batch of giggles and lay back down, cuddling into Yunho’s body.

“That fucking hurt,” Yoochun said. “Still doesn’t change the fact that you two need to get up.”

“Get up,” Yunho said, running a hand down Jae’s side and over the edge of a wing. “I like the sound of that.”

Jae shivered.

“That’s not what I meant,” Yoochun said. “I can send Junsu in there to douse you with water if that will help.”

“Okay, okay,” Yunho said. “We’re coming.”

Jae giggled.

Yunho looked down at him. “God, you’re giggly right now.”

“Sorry? After effects of amazing sex, I guess.”

Yunho growled and nibbled on Jae’s neck. “I was amazing, wasn’t I?”

Jae shivered and pushed him away. “Come on. Let’s get up. I promised Athena that we’d be at her support thing.”

“You just don’t want Junsu to throw water on you.”

“That, too.” Jae stood up, but Yunho grabbed his hips.

Jae slid away, just feeling the brush of Yunho’s lips on his ass. “Come take a shower with me. It will save time.”

“You mean that’s just what we’ll tell the others.”

Jae giggled again.

v-v

The car pulled up to SM Entertainment. The usual rush of security came to open the doors. Yunho cracked the window and told them to wait just one moment.

“What?” Junsu asked.

“This,” Yunho said, gesturing at Junsu curled up in Yoochun’s lap and then at his and Jae’s hands entwined together.

“I’m not really sure I can go the whole night without touching you,” Jae said.

“Yunho’s right,” Yoochun said. “It’s going to be bad enough that we’re friends. They find out we’re lovers and it’s going to be chaos.”

Junsu frowned.

“And no, it’s not like we’re ashamed of it,” Yunho said quickly. “It’s just—”

“I know,” Jae said.

“And it’s not like you can’t touch me,” Yunho said. “Just keep it chaste, and don’t kiss me.”

“Think of it as your own personal torture,” Changmin said with a grin.

Jae scoffed. “Helpful, Minnie. Thanks.”

“Come on,” Yunho said, and knocked on the window. Yunho stepped out first, amidst the jeers from the protestors and the screams of delight from the supporters. The media was being held back across the parking lot. Cameras flashed. Yunho told the security guard they were going to Athena’s support group.

“Are you crazy?”

“Maybe.”

He made a call on his radio for more men as soon as possible and then the group moved. Ueda spotted them first and motioned with his head. Athena looked around and then squealed and jumped up and ran to them. Security let her through, and then she hugged Yunho tightly.

“Hey, kitty,” Jae said. “Back off.”

Athena smiled and then gave Jae a hug. “You silly faerie. Like I could compare to you.”

All five of them were surprised at how many creatures there were and actually intermingling. They were all sitting. There were no posters or signs or chants.

“It’s a peaceful support,” Athena said, catching their amazed looks. “Throwing insults back at the insulters just makes things worse.”

Jae broke away from Yunho and went to Ueda. HongKei and Tegoshi were there.

Athena waited until Jae hugged him, and then settled into Ueda’s lap. “See, Jae? You hugged my boyfriend without me getting all jealous.”

“Yes, well, I haven’t fucked your boyfriend, now have I?”

Ueda laughed. “Technically, it was the other way around.”

Athena’s eyes went wide and she giggled.

“Damn it, Ueda, I was trying to make a point,” Jae muttered and sat on the ground.

“Kim Jaejoong.”

Jae looked up at the familiar voice and cringed. “Hey girls.”

Lauren sniffed in disdain. Kelly looked like she was about to cry. Jamie still had green hair.

“Jamie, why is your hair still green?”

Tears filled her eyes. “Like you care.”

“Of course I care. It looks horrendous and you are too pretty to have green hair.” Jae waved a hand and gave Jamie dark auburn hair that fell to her waist. “Is that better?”

Jamie ran her hands through it, wrapped it around her, brought it to her face to smell it.

“Thank you, oppa. It’s gorgeous.”

“Jae,” Lauren said.

“You want better hair, too?”

“No. I want you. You haven’t called.”

“I’ve been busy.”

Ueda scoffed. “Don’t lie to them.”

Jae shot him a look. “I have someone else, okay?”

Now all three of them looked like they were about to cry.

“Did I displease you, oppa?” Kelly said and fell to her knees.

“We’re just not pretty enough, huh, oppa? We’re just ugly humans,” Lauren said and face cringing, ran off with a cry.

“I’m happy, oppa,” Jamie said and then waved. “I’m going to go make sure Lauren’s okay. I love you, oppa.”

Kelly was looking at the ground.

“Kelly,” Jae said. “You didn’t displease me, okay? You are definitely my favorite fangirl, but I’ve found someone that really complements me and doesn’t put up with my faerie bullshit.”

Kelly gasped. “It’s not bullshit. You’re perfect.”

Jae grinned over at Ueda. “Hearing that never gets old.”

“Focus,” Ueda said.

“Right. Look, my little KelJae—”

Kelly grinned up at him.

“—you want me to be happy, right?”

“Of course, oppa.”

“Well, this person makes me happy.”

“Didn’t I make you happy? I’ll try harder, oppa.”

“It’d make me happy if we could be friends, okay?”

“Yes, oppa.”

“Tell you what, you go tell Lauren and Jamie that the three of you can have a free CD as soon as we release them, okay? We’ll even autograph them for you.”

“Really, oppa?”

“Of course. Now scat.”

Kelly scampered off, and Jae put his head in his hands. A familiar heat sat next to him.

“That was incredibly amusing,” Yunho said. In a girlish voice, he said, “Yes, oppa. I love you, oppa. Really, oppa?”

Jae shoved him. “Shut it.”

“Hey, can we get some pictures of you guys?” Athena asked. She held up a camera. “Vampire film and everything.”

Yunho looked at the others. “Why not?”

He put an arm around Jae. Yoochun and Junsu sat next to him, legs stretched out.

Changmin stood for only a moment and then with a wicked grin, climbed over their legs and stretched out over their laps.

“I don’t think so,” Yoochun said.

They started shoving him off, laughing, and Athena started snapping pictures.

“Alright, alright,” Changmin said. “You’re going to start tearing chunks of me out.”

“Ew,” Jae said, and inspected his hands and fingernails.

“Arrogance,” Yunho said.

Jae stuck his tongue out. The camera flashed again, and he turned an evil glare to Athena.

She smirked. “Come on, guys. A good one, for your fansite.”

“We have a fansite?”

“I started it yesterday,” Udea said.

“Thanks,” Yoochun said.

“You already have more than two thousand fans signed up.”

“Wow. That’s awesome.”

They posed and laughed and let Athena take pictures of them.

“Ah, Deeeeeeeeana,” Athena said and was off, hugging a woman.

“Vampire,” Yoochun muttered. “Man, this girl has a lot of creature friends.”

She pulled the girl over to the group, and introduced them. She was a young vampire, only turned a few years ago. Yoochun was sure she was still having problems curbing her cravings for real blood. Her eyes went wide when she saw Yoochun. She actually bowed and said something in an odd language.

Yoochun rolled his eyes. “Don’t call me that.”

“What?” Junsu asked.

“Master, in Latin. It’s a vampire thing.”

“And this is Changmin,” Athena said.

Dee would have blushed had she enough blood in her system. “You’re my favorite, Changmin oppa.”

“See?” Jae said, flinging a hand in the air. “It’s always the damn zombie.”

Changmin smiled at her and then patted the ground next to him. “Sit down.”

“Really, oppa?”

“Yes, sit.”

Someone started a small fire, and food was provided and passed around. Jae and Yunho shared a couple of kabobs. Yunho ate the meat and Jae ate the vegetables. Sweet cakes, chocolate, rice, ramen, sushi. There was so much food that eventually even Changmin was full.

At about eleven, three things happened at once.

The wind blew. Yoochun snarled and stood. Every vampire in the courtyard went really still.

The fire crackled in the silence as five figures walked toward Yoochun. Yunho stood up, followed quickly by the other three. They stayed just behind him.

“Oh my god, it’s Yamapi,” Jae muttered when the flames threw light on their faces.

Yoochun let out a sigh. Yamapi led the group. Jun and a timid female walked behind him. Ryo and Shige brought up the rear.

“Quite a party you got here, babe,” Yamapi said as soon as the group stopped in front of them.

“That you’re crashing. How did you manage to drag Jun from his coffin?”

“Cute,” Jun said. “It’s good to see you again, Yoochun.”

“What do you want?” Yoochun demanded.

Jun tsked at him. He smiled at Ueda and they had a brief conversation in Japanese. And then his eyes slid over the others. “Come now, Yoochun. Where are you manners? Introductions, please.”

Yoochun sighed. “Guys, this is Jun, Lord and master, king of vampires, blah blah blah.”

“Um, Chunnie,” Junsu said. “Didn’t you say he was powerful? Should you be upsetting him?”

Jun laughed. “Not many vampires will be so disrespectful. It’s actually pretty refreshing.”

“Anyway,” Yoochun said. He pointed to the others as he said their names. “That’s Yamapi, Shige and Ryo. They’re known as The Japanese Demons. And this is Changmin, Jaejoong, Junsu and Yunho.”

Jun’s eyes met each one of theirs and then settled on Junsu. He licked his lips. “The elf. God, I got a bit of your blood third hand and mixed with human blood and it still tasted amazing. And here it is, in the flesh. Smells good.”

Yoochun draped an arm around him.

Jun met his eyes. “I’ll take him if I want him.”

“And get a stake in your heart.”

There were audible gasps around them.

Jun lost his smile. “You think Yamapi’s going to let you get close enough?”

“Probably not. But I might get lucky. Now. What. Do. You. Want.”

“Simple.” He yanked his wrist. The girl behind him stumbled, but stayed on her feet.

“Tsuki,” Yoochun said, though with the scratches on her face and arms she was barely recognizable.

“That’s not your name, is it? Tell me your name.”

“Kitten, Jun Lord.”

Yoochun scoffed. “Did you come to bargain for her?”

“In a sense.”

“Do we need to have this conversation in a more private setting?” Yoochun asked.

Jun looked at all the interested eyes, and said, “That would be a good idea. Boys.”

Junsu grabbed Yoochun’s arm. “Chunnie.”

“It’s alright. It’s a business deal. He’s not going to hurt me.”

Yoochun walked next to Jun, the guard forming around them.

“Nice show,” Jun said. “You better be glad Kitten here put me in a good mood the last couple days.”

“Empty threats,” Yoochun said.

When they were far enough away from the crowd, Jun turned to him and said, “I want your clan.”

Yoochun choked. “Excuse me?”

“Transfer it. I’ll take them off your hands.”

“And what exactly am I supposed to give you in return?”

“No. It’s not like that. I want your clan. You don’t your clan. We’re both satisfied. Win/win. That’s the deal. I already talked to Daniela and she’ll allow it if you agree to it.”

“If you already talked to Daniela than she’ll have told you that I have no control over them.”

“I think you do, you just don’t want to. You’ve buried it. But if you let me, I can find it and take them from you.”

Yoochun turned to Yampai. “Willingly let one of the most powerful vampires in Asia take a swim through my power source?”

Yamapi laughed. “Under certain circumstances, it’s fantastically erotic.”

“What if I don’t have them?” Yoochun asked.

Jun shrugged. “No harm, no foul.”

“I want a promise that you’re not going to try to bind me to you, or to any of your followers.”

“Like I could keep you,” Jun said. “You already broke away from me once. I’m sure you could do it again.”

“Promise.”

Jun rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

Yoochun sighed. “I guess it’s better than to kill them all.”

“Kitten, darling, tell Yoochun how many of his clan are still alive.”

Tsuki winced, and when she didn’t answer, Jun grabbed the back of her neck.

“Four,” Tsuki said and then shivered when Jun licked her ear. “Four.”

“Four?” Yoochun said. “What the hell have you done to it?”

“It was Ale—” She broke off when Jun shoved her to the ground.

“Who’s left?”

Jun answered, “She says that it’s her and Alexandra, and then Gabby and Soonli. She doesn’t know where Soonli is, but if you do this, I’ll know as soon as I’m their clan leader.”

Yoochun shut his eyes and sighed. “Four of them. Out of fifty. Four of them.” Yoochun put his face in his hands, fighting tears, chest heaving. Yamapi’s arms were suddenly around him and he leaned into the hug. Yamapi didn’t stop him when he let out an aggravated yell and hit his shoulder with a closed fist.

“They turned on you and yet you grieve for them?” Jun said. “You have too much compassion for a vampire.”

“Blame your profiler for turning me,” Yoochun replied.

Jun rolled his eyes. “Yamapi knows better than to lose control like that, don’t you Yamapi?”

“I knew better then, but you weren’t in that locker room.”

Yoochun laughed. He pulled away from Yamapi. When the other vampire reached to touch his face, Yoochun stopped his hand. “I have a boyfriend watching us right now, remember?”

“Sorry. If you ever break up with him, will you please call me?”

Yoochun shook his head. “You know I won’t do anything with you while you’re still bending over for Jun.”

“Your loss,” Jun said.

“So when do we do this?” Yoochun asked.

“Midnight. Tomorrow. On your roof. I’m hoping Alexandra will be watching you again and know the moment she becomes mine.”

“I’ll be there.” Yoochun looked back at the crowd. And then he smiled. “You guys going to hang out for a bit, or are you going to crawl back to your coffins?”

Jun looked at the other three. “Why not?”

When Jun went to move past him, Yoochun grabbed his arm.

Jun raised his eyebrows.

“Seriously, you touch Junsu, and you die.”


	20. Everyone has to wait until our debut.

Junsu watched, heart breaking a little, as Yoochun hugged the Japanese vampire.

“Don’t worry,” Jae said. “It looks like he just got some very bad news.”

“Does he have to go to him though? I’m right here.”

“It’s vampire business,” Yunho said, “and he loves you.”

“Hey Jae,” Changmin said. “Yoochun called them the Japanese Demons. What did he mean?”

“I can answer that,” Ueda said with a half smile. “Jun was turned in the 1400s, or so the legend goes.”

Junsu spit out his juice. “He’s six hundred years old?”

“Maybe older. You don’t ask him, unless you want a very painful reminder why you don’t ask him. Jun was one of the queen’s lovers. The king got a bit upset when he found out that Jun was a vampire, so he sentenced him to death. Jun escaped. Over the next few years he turned his own vampires, Yamapi, Ryo, Shige and Massu. The next part depends on what version of the story you believe. If you’re a romantic, then Jun infiltrated the palace to kidnap the queen because he loved her. If you’re a realist, then Jun infiltrated the palace to kill the king in revenge. And of course there are hundreds of versions of the story of the Japanese Demons, to this day parents scare their kids with it. ‘If you don’t do your work, I’ll send the Demons after you’.”

“Telling lies about me, Ueda?” Jun said and sat down.

Everyone but Ueda froze and held their breath.

The other four sat around Jun: Yamapi almost in his lap, Ryo and Shige behind him, and Tsuki kneeling next to him, head lowered.

Yoochun settled on Junsu’s lap, not caring who was watching, but needing his body close. He wound his hands around his shoulders and buried his face in his neck.

“You okay,” Junsu whispered.

“Later.”

“Why don’t you tell us the truth?” Ueda said with a grin.

“What version are you telling?”

“The basic one.”

“So the one where everything went to shit, Massu died and we fled to Korea?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“Why run though?” Yunho asked. “You guys are pretty powerful vampires.”

Jun smiled. “Now we are. Back then we were just a bunch of punks. How old were we?” he asked Yamapi.

“I don’t remember. Forty, fifty maybe.”

“The king put a price on our heads so large that humans were trying to kill us. After Ryo had a close call, we just decided to split. Talk about something else.”

Athena sat up, that gleam in her eye.

“Uh oh,” Yunho said.

She grinned. “Oh, shut up, I just had a wonderful idea.”

“What?”

“Sing for us.”

Jaejoong scoffed. “What?”

“We’re out here supporting you and we haven’t even heard you sing. What if you guys suck?”

Jae glared at her. “We most certainly do not.”

“Then prove it.”

Jae looked at the other four. “Well? Prove ourselves to this rabble of creatures?”

Yunho grinned. “Sure. What should we sing?”

“We have to leave our single as a surprise,” Yoochun said, finally pulling away from Junsu’s warmth.

“And I don’t know Holding On well enough yet,” Yunho said.

“Harmonize with me,” Jae said, “and then just follow my lead.”

“Jae,” Yunho said.

Jae grinned. “Trust me.”

The vampires all scoffed.

“Guys,” Yoochun said.

Jun waved his hand. “Right, right. No prejudices and all that.”

Jae and Junsu hit their notes, harmonizing around an A. The other three came in, Yunho’s bass last. Noise around the courtyard diminished.

Jae started singing, “Three little bears all—”

Everyone laughed.

“Come on,” Jae said, smacking Yunho’s shoulder. “Be serious.”

“Right, right.” Yunho turned his features grim. “Sorry. Start over.”

Jae started again, and this time they made it through the children’s song. Athena clapped and a few others joined in.

“Your voices are nice,” Jun said. “They work well together.”

“Thanks,”

“Sing something else,” Athena demanded.

“Pick a song, guys,” Jae said. “I’m all out of ideas.”

Yunho suddenly stood and pulled Jae to his feet. “Pow wow. Come on, guys.” Junsu and Yoochun stood and Changmin pulled his hand away from Dee’s. The others looked on in confusion while the five guys whispered.

Junsu giggled once.

Ueda grinned over at Jun and then said in Japanese, “So what do you think?”

“About?”

“Them.”

“It’s crazy, insane, but I’ve never seen Yoochun happy like this.”

“Hey,” Yamapi said. “He was happy with me.”

“For half an hour in the boys’ locker room,” Ryo muttered.

“It was more like an hour.”

“The part when he was unconscious doesn’t count.”

Yamapi snarled.

Jun held up a hand. “Pi, shut up.”

“You throw your support behind them and the rest of the vampires will follow,” Ueda said.

Jun glared at him. “You and your cause,” he said with a snarl. “We’ve both been alive for too long to keep petty prejudices, but I’m not about to start a vampire war.”

“Just you being here is an announcement enough.”

“Maybe. But if people are smart, they’ll keep their mouths shut.”

“Alright,” Yunho said. “You guys ready for the performance of a moment.”

“Hang on,” Athena said and scrambled up from Ueda’s lap. She fiddled with her camera for a moment and then said, “This is … Do you guys have a band name yet?”

“No,” Yunho said.

“Alright. Make something up. So, you’ve all heard that when the gods return, they’ll rise from the east, well, tonight, you all have the pleasure of watching five men that are as close to gods as any of us can get. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Rising Creatures of the East.”

More than one person laughed and lots of them applauded.

Junsu hit an A and they all harmonized. Then with a deep breath, Jae came out with a huge smile. It took them a bit to agree on a song, but they settled on one from the human group SHINee. And then all five of them only knew all the words to one song.

Jae hit the first few notes of In My Room and every one went quiet. Their voices echoed across the night, Changmin hitting the high notes and Jae throwing adlibs in at the end. The courtyard was quiet when the song ended, but then broke into applause.

“Sing another one,” Athena commanded.

“No. That’s enough,” Yunho said and sat down. “Everyone has to wait until our debut.”

Yoosu settled on the grass, cuddling up.

“So what’s your first single going to be like?” Athena asked.

“Man, this girl will not shut up,” Jae said and turned to Yunho. “Did she talk this much during sex?”

“Hey,” Ueda said, but Athena giggled.

“It was mostly purring,” Yunho said.

“Hey,” Ueda repeated, a bit stronger.

“I prefer growling,” Jae said and shot a smoldering look at Yunho.

“You guys are noisy,” Changmin said and stood up. “Let’s go find a quite spot.” He held out a hand to Deanna. She blushed as she took it and he helped her up.

Changmin led her to a small island in the courtyard. A single tree grew from dirt, but it was better than nothing. He was about to take off his jacket for Deanna to sit on when the dirt sparkled for a moment and grass grew in its place. He looked over at a smiling Junsu and mouthed thanks.

“That was cool.”

“Perks of being friends with an elf,” Changmin said and sat down. He patted the ground next to him.

Deanna sat down, but curled her legs up to her chest. Changmin relaxed and leaned on one elbow.

“So what should we talk about?” Changmin asked.

Deanna shrugged.

“Do you want to talk about how you’re a vampire?”

“No. Do you want to talk about how you’re a zombie?”

“A ex-lover of mine was turned. He said that he wanted to see me, and I’m too nice for my own good, so after he assured me that just meeting him for a drink wouldn’t make me a zombie, I agreed. Well, I got drunk and he ate me.”

Deanna giggled. “Sorry, but the news made it sound like someone jumped you in an alley.”

“No, that’s just where someone found me.”

Deanna looked over the revelers, thinking. She didn’t have to tell him, but there was no reason not to. They’d already traded phone numbers and here he was, pulling her away from his friends to talk to her. She sighed and then whispered, “I was sick. Dying. And I was scared. I didn’t want to leave my brother—he means the world to me—and this was the only option I had left.”

“Wow.” That’s all Changmin could think to say.

Deanna shrugged. “Yeah. But I can’t be alone with my brother right now because I can’t control the urge to just eat him, and my parents have disowned me because they’re Christians and they think I’ve condemned myself. They’ve already tried to exorcise the demon in me, they brandished crosses at me and even threw holy water at me.”

Changmin snorted.

Deanna turned and smiled. “Yeah. They’re pretty bigoted. And I’m talking too much.”

“No, it’s alright. It’s really hard. I’ve been a zombie for about a year now, and this last week is the only week that hasn’t been miserable. Tonight especially.” He smiled at her. She blushed and looked away. “Anyway. It was really hard because I had to recover and then I had to spend three months getting used to not eating people and then the whole skin falling off thing is pretty gross and then SM didn’t want me as a soloist anymore because my ‘sex appeal’ was gone, but they didn’t want to get rid of me because my voice wasn’t affected by the change.”

“I like your voice. It’s very soothing.”

“Thanks.”

Blushing madly, Deanna turned her face away and said, “Just so you know, your sex appeal is not gone.”

Changmin grinned.

“They’re so cute,” Junsu said.

Jae fought down a shiver, but Yunho noticed and said his name in admonishment.

“Sorry. I’m just … I mean, zombie sex, what if parts of him fall off?”

Everyone sat in stunned silence. And then burst out laughing.

“Oh my god, the images,” Yoochun said.

Jun shook his head. “Crazy creatures. If he’s taking care of himself, he’ll function just like any other man.”

“Ah, Yunho, you saved his sex life,” Junsu crowed.

“Ugh, Su,” Jae said but couldn’t stop laughing.

“He saved yours, too,” Ueda said, shoving Jaejoong.

Jae glared at him. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Ueda smirked. He said something in Japanese that made the vampires laugh.

“What did you say?” Jae said.

“You’ve been alive for how long and you haven’t learned Japanese yet?” Ueda asked him.

“No. What did you say?”

“He said that even faeries weren’t good enough for you anymore,” Yoochun said.

“You speak Japanese?” Junsu said.

Yoochun smirked. “Look at who I was turned by and lived with for the first twenty years of my vampirism. Of course, I speak Japanese.”

“Hey,” Jae said. “We’re talking about me right now.”

Yoochun held his hands up. “Sorry, your highness.”

“And what was that supposed to mean?” he demanded of Ueda.

“I won’t totally embarrass you and say how long ago it was, but name one person you had sex since that last time with me,” Ueda said and added quickly, “besides Yunho.”

“Damn you,” Jae muttered, and they all laughed.

At about twelve-thirty, Yunho called it a night. “We have to get back here before dawn,” he reminded them.

“It’s been fun,” Jun said. “See you tomorrow, Yoochun.”

“I’m going to hug your boyfriend,” Yamapi said to Junsu and then did before Junsu could react.

Yoochun only hugged him for a moment and then pushed him away. “Don’t. He’s going to think there’s still something between us.”

“There is,” Yamapi said, and then looked at Junsu, “but don’t worry. It’s only one-sided. He loves you.”

“Yamapi,” Jun snapped.

Yamapi grinned. “Master calls.”

“He’s odd,” Junsu said as they headed to the car.

Yoochun smirked. “All four of them are odd. Guess it comes with being alive for so long.”

“Where’s Changmin?” Yunho asked. They looked around and spotted him still under the tree with Deanna. They were lying on their sides, facing each other. Smiling.

“They’re holding hands,” Junsu said and giggled.

“Hey, Changmin,” Yunho shouted, and Changmin’s head jerked up. “We have to go.”

“Okay, hyung.” He leaned back to Deanna, kissed her cheek and then rose. As Changmin sauntered toward them, Deanna flung herself on her back.

Changmin returned Jae’s smirk with one of his own. “All you need is a bit of confidence.”

“And your skin to stay on,” Jae said.

“Yeah, that, too.”

As soon as they were in the relative safety of the car and on their way home, Jae pulled himself into Yunho’s lap and kissed him. “God, I’ve wanted to do that all night.”

“Me, too,” Yunho said and held him tightly.

“Twenty dollars says they’re going to be up all night,” Junsu whispered.

“Keep it,” Jae said, “because you two will be, too.”

“We need to rest,” Yunho said. “So we’ll only be up for half the night.”

The car pulled up to the curb. Jae went to climb out, but Changmin stopped him, and motioned with his head out the door. There was a couple sitting on the steps, leaning into each other, kissing.

“Isn’t that Sylver?” Junsu asked.

“Yeah,” Yoochun said. “With that new girl, Jessica.”

“I’m not about to sit in this car as to not disturb their moment when I want to get upstairs and have my own moments,” Jae said, and opened the door.

Jessica pulled away.

“You two are up late, aren’t you?” Jae said as he walked up the stairs.

Neither said anything, but looked away.

“Sorry,” Yunho said. “Don’t mind him. He is a faerie after all.”

Sylver waited until the five of them were through the doors and then sighed, “Well, that sorta ruined the first kiss, didn’t it?”

Jessica smiled. “Maybe, but there’s still number two to look forward to.”

Sylver met her eyes, grinned and then leaned back in for kiss number two.

v-v

“I’m wide awake,” Changmin said, but had to stifle another yawn.

“Liar,” Dee said on the other line. “You’re really tired.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, I’m going to go. Dawn is in two hours and you need to sleep.”

“No, don’t go. I still want to talk to you.”

Dee giggled. “Crazy zombie. It’s not like I’m never going to talk to you again.”

“I know. Come over tonight.”

Silence. “Maybe. I’ll call you later, okay?”

Changmin sighed. “Okay.”

“Sleep well.”

“You, too.”

Changmin disconnected. He had called Dee as soon as he made it to his room. They talked of nothing really. His career, his schooling, his favorite foods, her schooling and her family before she became a vampire. He steered clear of that issue. It didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about it, but he figured there’d be plenty of time for it later.

He grabbed a quick snack and then settled down to get a few hours of sleep.

v-v

Jae woke up, again with a smile on his face. He snuggled into Yunho’s warm body.  
A week ago, he hated hated hated sharing his bed with anyone, and a werewolf? Not a chance. A week ago, he wouldn’t have even let a werewolf touch him.

Jae knew that he wasn’t going to be able to sleep well without Yunho in his bed.

Yunho shifted and groaned. “Go make me coffee.”

“Kiss my ass.”

Yunho chuckled. “Again?”

“Forever.”

Yunho propped up on an elbow and smiled at him. “Forever is long time to practically immortal creatures.”

Jae met his eyes. “Yes, well, for a little while then.”

Yunho pulled him close and kissed him. “Forever sounds better.”

They kissed for long minutes, and then Yunho reluctantly pulled away. “Come on. Let’s go get in the shower before YooSu.”

v-v

Junsu gasped, fingers scrapping over Yoochun’s shoulders. “They beat us to the shower.”

“That means we have at least ten minutes, but more like twenty,” Yoochun replied, his hands tracing along Junsu’s skin. “I can think of a few things to do with twenty minutes.”

He licked Junsu’s neck. Junsu’s eyes fluttered closed.

“Yeah,” Junsu whimpered. “Do that.”


	21. Try not to be so fucking smart okay?

Five very satisfied young men met in the kitchen a couple hours later. Jae cooked breakfast with a smile on his face that refused to go away.

In the car on the way to the studio, it was very hard for Jaejoong to stop touching Yunho.

Yoochun watched them and rolled his eyes on more than one occasion, but then his elf curled into him and he smiled. Guess he didn’t blame them; it was nice to have someone to touch and cuddle with.

“It’ll be good to get back to recording,” Changmin said, snacking on some food.

“No kidding,” Yunho said.

“I can’t wait to dance,” Junsu said.

Jae groaned and looked up at Yunho. “You’re going to make me dance today, huh?”

“Yes.”

“And even after what I did for you in the shower, this is the thanks I get?”

Yunho laughed. “Consider it a pre-reward for a job well done.”

“You two are lame,” Yoochun said.

“Why?” Junsu said and nibbled on Yoochun’s chin. “You’re always rewarded for a job well done, too.”

“God, enough,” Changmin said. “You’re both incredibly adorable couples and you’re both incredibly lame.”

They laughed.

The scene outside the SM building was calm. Well, calm compared to yesterday. When security surrounded them and they exited the car, only a few spells flew towards them from the faeries. The elves looked on with distaste as Yoochun and Junsu held hands.

“Look,” Jae said and motioned to where the protest had been last night. On one of the islands, Ueda sat against a tree. Athena was curled up with her head in his lap. Hongki and Kei were there, too. Hongki had a laptop open, and he and Ueda were bent over it.

“Ueda, konnichiwa,” Yoochun hollered.

The four of them looked up and waved.

“In a couple hours after we posted that vid of you guys singing, our site crashed,” Ueda said with a grin. “I don’t even know how many hits it got.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah, we’re updating to a bigger server.”

“Thanks,” Jaejoong said, and the other immediately echoed him. “Come over later and show it to us.”

“We will.”

In the building, they were escorted to the recording studio. The set up was much nicer, the room cool and the microphones working. With them all in good spirits and relaxed and getting along, recording Holding On went a lot faster. The scene in the cafeteria was the same with the exception that the faeries didn’t even look at Jaejoong let alone talk to him.

When they left, Yunho knew that it upset him, so he put his arm around Jaejoong’s waist and pulled him close. “They’ll come around,” he whispered.

Jae tried to smile. He doubted it. Faeries were stubborn and selfish and unless you were a faerie, you weren’t good enough. He shivered, thinking of how he used to be just a week ago.

“Let’s dance,” Junsu said and flung open the dance room door. And stopped. Yunho pushed past him.

There were clothes racks along one wall. A manager saw them, and with a smile bade them over.

“Hey, boys, great. You’re here. We know you have some choreography to do, but we had a bit of a brainstorm about this video we’re going to be shooting this week, and we need to see if the costumes need to be altered to fit you.”

“Costumes,” Jae said.

“Ingenious really. And Lee Sooman loves the idea, so if you have any problems with it, go to him.”

“What costumes?” Junsu asked.

Yunho eyed the five different colors of fuzzy looking clothes at the end of the rack. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“No, it’s brilliant really. You’ll be dressed up as different animals.”

“No. There’s a pink outfit,” Yoochun said. “Who has to wear that one?”

“The faerie,” Junsu said and stuck his tongue out at Jae.

“Fuck this shit,” Jaejoong said.

“Come on,” Changmin said. “Think about it for a minute. How freakin’ hilarious would that be? We’re singing a song about being different creatures and dressed up as animals. It does exactly what we want it to do, and makes a satirical statement about segregation.”

Yunho looked at Changmin and sighed. “Really, Minnie. Try not to be so fucking smart okay?”

“Sorry, hyung.”

“Alright,” Yunho said. “What do we do?”

“I am not wearing pink,” Yoochun said.

“Me neither,” Changmin said.

Yunho grinned. “Rock, paper scissors it is.”

“I suck at this game,” Yoochun muttered.

“Alive a hundred years, one would think you’d learned the trick,” Jaejoong said with a smirk.

Yoochun hissed at him.

They played, and Yoochun lost. And lost again, and lost again.

“Fuck.” He stomped over to the rack and started changing. “It’s a fucking bunny costume.”

The four stared at him for a brief moment and then busted up laughing.

“The white one is a lamb? What the fuck were you guys thinking?”

Junsu quickly moved to his irate vampire and wrapped arms around his waist. “I’ll wear the bunny one if you want me to,” Junsu said.

“No, I lost. I have to wear it.”

“Then I’ll wear the lamb one so we can look ridiculous together.”

“We’re all going to look ridiculous,” Yunho said, and pulled one of the others off the shelf. “What is this?”

“Looks like a deer,” Changmin said.

Jae laughed. “You should wear that one, Yunnie, because you eat deer.”

Yunho rolled his eyes. “Changmin gets to wear it because he’s the tallest.”

“That makes no sense.”

“I don’t care.” He shoved it at Changmin who took it.

“Lion or tiger?” Yunho said, pointing to the two left.

“Lion,” Jaejoong said, and then lowered his voice and said, “I roar louder than you in bed.”

Yunho laughed.

They changed into the outfits and the stylist ran around them making notes and pinning things. Their ridiculous reflections stared back at them from the mirrors.

“Next time I decide to be smart, someone shut me up,” Changmin said.

All four agreed.

v-v

Almost as soon as they arrived home from another long day of dancing, Ueda, Athena and HongKei showed up. After looking at the website Ueda started, Yoochun whispered to Junsu,

“Come to bed with me.”

Junsu smiled. “My pleasure.”

They got up, and holding hands, made their way down the hall. In the room, Yoochun pulled Junsu down to the bed, and said, “Hold me for a bit.”

“Are you alright?”

“No.”

“What happened with those vampires?”

“Jun is going to take over what’s left of the clan I used to lead. Tonight I have to transfer power to him.”

“Oh.”

“I used to control a clan of fifty vampires, Su. Fifty. There are four left.”

Junsu tightened his hold on Yoochun. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“If I hadn’t left, if I had fought for them, they wouldn’t be dead.”

“I thought you said they turned on you.”

“Yeah, but I could have fought, but I didn’t want to be clan leader, so I left.”

“And now you’re blaming yourself for their deaths.”

“Yes, but don’t tell me it’s not my fault. That won’t help.”

“I know.”

They lay in silence. Yoochun nuzzled at Junsu’s neck. His fangs extended and he scraped them along Junsu’s skin. Junsu shivered.

“I’m going to take more of your blood than I normally do. I need it for the transfer.”

“Take it all.”

“You want to be a vampire?”

Junsu smiled. “No. The fang fetish won’t be the same if I end up having my own.”

Yoochun laughed. “Oh, my little elf, I love you.”

Junsu would have replied, but Yoochun slammed fangs into his neck, and it was lost in a deep moan.

“Touch me.”

Yoochun didn’t. Couldn’t, not right now. He was guzzling Junsu’s blood. If he lost focus he could kill him, and that would be bad.

But Junsu continued to whimper and plead and Yoochun growled a bit from the lust of hearing Junsu beg for him.

_Next time, definitely next time._

In the living room, Yunho’s head suddenly swiveled to the bedroom, and then he grinned. “Can’t keep them away from each other.”  
  
Athena laughed. “Like you and Jae are any different.”

Jae wrapped protective arms around Yunho’s body. “My wolf,” he whispered.

Yunho smiled and kissed the top of Jae’s head. “My faerie.”

They were cuddled up on the couch, Ueda’s laptop sat on Yunho’s lap, open to their fansite. In bright red across the stop, it said, “Rising Creatures of the East”. Ueda had a pad of paper and took notes on different things to add to the website. He’d already gotten physical descriptions, weight and height and favorite foods and hobbies and hometowns. In Yunho, Changmin and Yoochun’s cases, he added how long they had been creatures.

“Did you really have to use that picture?” Jae asked again as Yunho clicked on a link. It was the one of him with his tongue out.

“What’s wrong with it?” Yunho asked. “I like your tongue.”

Jae smiled and licked Yunho’s neck.

“Hyungs,” Changmin said.

“You know, Jae,” Ueda said, “I never thought that, out of all faeries, you’d be one of the ones to come to your senses.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jae demanded.

Ueda smirked. “You almost didn’t even let me touch you because you knew that I had been with an elf, remember that?

Jae scoffed. “True.”

“The only faerie worse than you were is Heechul,” Hongki muttered.

Jae looked over at him, really looked at him. Hongki was frowning, and if Jae remembered last night correctly, the young faerie hadn’t smiled as often as he usually did. It was very odd to see Hongki separated from Heechul. “What happened?”

Hongki looked up, startled and then said, “Nothing, hyung.”

“It wasn’t nothing,” Kei piped up. “My Hongki is not ugly and Heechul—”

“Don’t, Kei,” Hongki whispered, and gathered her close. “You’re more beautiful than he is.”

Jae looked, open mouthed, at Ueda. Hongki, saying a human was prettier than Heechul? Even Jae wouldn’t go that far.

Ueda explained, “Hongki mentioned something about why you being friends with a werewolf was any different than having a human follower, and Heechul ostracized him.”

Jae uncurled from Yunho’s lap and went and hugged Hongki. Soon, Ueda joined them.

“Just by thinking that means you’re better than he is, Hongki,” Jae said, “and just remember that you are always welcome to stay here if you need to.”

“Thanks, hyung.”

Jae kissed his cheek and then pulled away to let Kei comfort to poor kid.

“Oh, and by the way,” Jae said, curing back up with Yunho. “You look good as a blond.”

“Doesn’t he, though?" Kei swooned, and Hongki smiled. “It was my idea.”

“I really appreciate everything you two are doing for this group,” Yunho said to Ueda and Athena.

“Are you kidding?” Athena said. “You guys are supporting a cause that we’ve been fighting for years.”

Changmin laughed. “Should we tell them about our costumes?”

Jae giggled. “No. They get to be surprised.”

“I am dying to hear your first song,” Athena said and dramatically flung herself over Ueda’s lap. “I must hear some of it, or I shall faint away with nothing but your voices to revive me.”

“When did he say we were releasing this single? Next week?” Jae asked.

Yunho thought for a moment. “I think so. We’re going to have to talk to Lee Sooman tomorrow. We’re almost ready with this dance, and he wants to film the video by the end of the week.”

“Ooh, can I see some of the dance?” Athena said.

“You’re in our presence,” Jae said, “isn’t that enough?”

Athena pouted. “I guess. But I want more.”

“I can give you more, baby,” Ueda said and bent down to kiss her, “or at least enough to keep your mind off of them until they debut.”

“Hmm, I’ll take it.”

Back in the bedroom, Yoochun pulled his fangs away from Junsu’s weak body. “Sorry, baby, but if you knew what I was getting into, you’d understand. I love you.”

Junsu’s eyes fluttered.

Yoochun kissed his slack lips and then stood up. He had to put a hand back to the bed to keep from falling over. It’d been a long time since he had this much blood in his body. He made his way to the living room. Yunho turned to him and then frowned.

“Will you guys keep an eye on Junsu for me?” Yoochun asked.

“What’s wrong?” Changmin asked, nose wrinkling. Vampires may have liked the smell of elven blood but it made Changmin’s stomach turn.

“Nothing, just blood loss.”

“Yoochun,” Yunho said.

“Don’t start, Yunnie. You guys have no idea what’s going on tonight and I need as much blood in me as I can. And I warned him before I even started. Just watch him, okay?”

“What’s going on tonight?” Ueda asked.

Yoochun sighed. “Power transfer.”

Ueda whistled. “Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“What’s a power transfer?” Jae asked.

When Ueda opened his mouth, Yoochun said, “Explain it later. I’m going to have to go through it tonight, I don’t need to hear about it beforehand. Changmin, your new vamp friend isn’t coming over, is she?”

“No,” Changmin said and frowned. “She said there was too much vamp activity tonight for her to keep control of herself.”

“Smart girl. Hang on to her.”

Yoochun looked at the balcony door. He really wished he hadn’t drained Junsu so much. He really needed him right now.

Jae stood up, walked over to Yoochun and hugged him. Startled, Yoochun stood there and then slowly hugged him back.

“Whatever it is,” Jae said, “just remember that we’re here for you. Teammates and all that shit.”

“Thanks, Jae.”

Yunho and Changmin joined the hug and voiced their agreement.

“Rising Creatures fighting?” Changmin asked.

Yunho laughed. “Sure.” They broke apart, put their hands on top of each other, and with a one, two, three, shouted Fighting.

“You guys are crazy,” Yoochun said, but left the apartment and headed to the roof in much better spirits.


	22. We need some sunshine up on the roof.

Yoochun approached the roof cautiously. Vampires. All around, but he didn’t recognize any of their scents. He stuck to the shadows.

Yoochun shut his eyes, found that spot in the back of his mind that had been buried for so many years. A tingle rippled through his head.

_Yamapi. Help._

Something hit his back, breaking his concentration. He crouched, but just before he jumped, something landed on him from above. Fangs dug into his neck and then another set in his wrist.

He struggled, managed to knock one set of fangs off him, but another replaced it.

“Hey, Yoochun, darling.”

Oh, fuck.

v-v  
  
Yamapi’s head shot up. “Fuck,” he said.

“Um, yeah, that’s the point,” Jun said with a smirk.

“No, Yoochun.” Yamapi got off his knees. “Sorry, Jun. He’s in trouble.”

“What?”’

“Don’t know. He just called me.”

Jun sighed and shut his eyes. “You better finish this later.”

Yamapi grinned. “Just try and stop me.”

Jun stood up and buckled his pants. “Maybe I will. You’ll need to be punished.” He sighed again. “Going a bit earlier, but oh, well. Anything for Yoochun, right. Call the clan.”

Yamapi ignored the sarcasm for now. It’d been more than forty years since Yoochun had called him. Being punished by Jun would be well worth helping Yoochun out, because Yoochun only called when he needed it.

Jun sent Ryo to Daniela. The rest of the clan gathered behind Jun, Yamapi and Shige.

“Run,” Yamapi said.

“I still think we should be able to fly,” Shige said. “They get to in the movies.”

They ran, dark blurs across the landscape and down the streets. A few blocks from Yoochun’s building, the entered an alley, climbed the fire escapes, and ran across the roofs. Jun directed the clan and had them form a wide circle about two buildings away from Yoochun’s. This close, Yamapi could smell that sweet elven blood.

“Shige, go warn those band mates of his,” Jun said.

Shige branched off, and dropped down the side of a building.

“Where’s Yoochun?” Jun asked.

“Probably under that pile of vampires.”

“Smart ass. How many?”

“Too many. I can’t get a feel on them.”

“New recruits?”

“They have to be. There’s not one signal, none of them have an identity.”

Jun sighed. “Hey Yamapi, forget about the blowjob and the round of sex you’ve been bugging me for. Let’s go have a battle with new vampires who are little more than animals. Sure thing, Jun, sounds great.”

Yamapi grinned. “You know I love you, Jun.”

“And the fact that I’m here just proves a return sentiment, right?”

“Just say I love you back, Jun. It won’t kill you.”

“And ruin an eight hundred year streak? No way.”

“You guys done acting like we’re at a party?” Shige asked.

“Yep,” Jun said, kissed Yamapi quickly and then sent out the call to go. “I want a border around the roof. No rogue vampire leaves this roof alive.”

Yamapi dove, pushed away his worry for Yoochun and fought. Fang, hands and strength tearing into those less experienced. It was gruesome. As soon as one rogue was bloodied, others would fall on it, tearing it to pieces, not caring, just eating and feeding.

“I hate rogues!” Ryo shouted from somewhere.

“It’s fun,” Shige responded.

Yamapi caught a glimpse of him, mouth bloodied, clothes torn and shivered. He probably looked the same. Fangs dug into his wrist. He grabbed the vamp by its throat and flung the body away. He flicked his hand and tossed what used to be a neck out of his hands.

Jun was suddenly next to him. “Rachael’s got him. I sent her down to the apartment. We’re about to get some faerie intervention.”

“Good. I don’t know how much more of this I can handle.”

“Getting soft in your old age?” Jun said with a grin.

Yamapi flipped him off and then grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side as a rogue dove at him. They each grabbed a body part and tore the vamp apart.

“Oh, yes, so much better than sex,” Jun muttered, and then they separated, back into the fray.

In the apartment, Yunho paced, growling with every other step. A fight on his roof, his friend in trouble and that damn vampire just expected him to sit here.

“Please, Yunho,” Jae said. “They’re vampires. You’re fresh blood to them. They’d slaughter you.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I like sitting down here doing nothing. Yoochun is being attacked.”

“Don’t you think I know that? But still, there’s nothing we can do?”

Silence fell. They watched Yunho pace.

Something fell heavily onto their balcony. The door shattered.

Jae and Ueda had light ready to throw when Yunho said, “Fuck, is he dead?”

The vampire carrying Yoochun shook her head. “Not yet. Jun was wondering if you faeries could help us out. We need some sunshine up on the roof.”

“What’s going on, Rachael?” Ueda asked.

“Oh, there’s about ten of us and about thirty rogues up there. We can take care of them, but a little light would do the job a lot quicker.”

Ueda winced.

“Rogues?” Hongki asked.

“Yeah, they’re more machines than people,” Ueda said. “Only turned for brute strength.”

“Has Lexy done all of this?” Yunho asked.

“We think so,” Rachael replied. “Where’s your bathroom?”

“Down there,” Yunho said and pointed.

“And the elf?”

“Passed out.”

“Damn it. I take it Yoochun drained him for the power transfer.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, then I guess you’re about to become a donor, wolf, because if Yoochun doesn’t get blood in him, he’s going to die.”

Yunho took a deep breath, but followed her down the hall.

“Trust me. Yoochun isn’t going to like it either. Werewolf blood is gross.”

Rachael set Yoochun in the tub. She finished ripping the tattered clothes off the battered body.

“Junsu is going to be pissed,” Yunho said. “That was his favorite jacket. Cost him three hundred dollars.”

Rachael turned the shower on. The water swirled pink down the drain.

“God, they really chewed him to pieces,” she said. “We’re lucky we got to him when we did.”

“He’ll be alright?” Yunho asked.

Yoochun’s whole body jerked and spasmed. Blood splashed around the bathroom.

“That’s your cue, wolf. Give him your wrist.”

“Voluntarily shoving my wrist in the face of an out of control vampire,” Yunho muttered.

“Insanity, but I won’t let him kill you.”

“Comforting. Thanks.”

Rachael flashed a smile at him.

Yunho took another deep breath. He winced when fangs slid into his wrist.

In the living room, Jae headed for the broken door.

“You’re not actually considering this,” Hongki said and grabbed his elbow.

“Yes, I am. Ueda, you coming?”

“Yep.”

Hongki shook his head again. “But we’re—”

“Then stay here,” Jae said.

Ueda took Hongki’s hand. “We need you for the light weave. Don’t worry about it. They’re rogues and as good as dead anyway.”

Hongki shook but after a swallow he nodded his head.

Kei grabbed his arm. “You won’t be hurt, will you?”

“No,” Hongki said with a smile. “I’ll be alright.”

Athena gently pulled the human girl away. “They have wings, honey, and vampires can’t fly.”

“Which isn’t fair.”

They all jumped.

Shige, the first vampire that had come, was standing among the glass shards. “Jun sent me to hurry you faeries along.”

“We’re coming,” Jae said and flew through the door. Ueda and Hongki followed him.

Shige kicked the glass. “I want to fly,” he muttered.

Jae flew to a corner of a building. “Hongki, Ueda, take a point.”

“Jun,” Ueda called as soon as they were settled, “clear your clan out.”

Jae took a deep breath. Rogues were nasty, half were already hissing at them, and one threw something at Hongki. Something that vaguely resembled an arm.

“We’re clear,” a shout said.

“Now,” Ueda yelled.

Light erupted from all six of their hands. The light split into streams and flowed together, weaving around each other until there was a dome, bright as day, around the roof. Jae forced himself to watch as skin boiled and peeled from bones, and ash slowly replaced what used to be living creatures. He hated doing this, and he was more than grateful that this was only the second time in his life that he’d had to do it.

Hongki practically fell to the roof and threw up. Ueda was next to him in a moment, whispering reassurances at him. Jae lowered to the roof and kicked a pile of ash.

“Thanks,” Jun said at his elbow.

“You’re welcome, I guess,” Jae replied. He didn’t wait for the others and flew back to the apartment. He needed Yunho.

“Any chance Lexy was in that pile that we just barbecued?” Ueda asked Jun.

“Doubtful. She probably gave the command and then cut out. We’ll have to ask Yoochun when he wakes up.”

“He’ll be alright?”

“Yeah. He’s a strong bastard.”

“Where’s Yunho?” Jae asked Athena even before his feet hit the floor.

“Still in the bathroom.”

Jaejoong sighed. He sat hard on the couch. Changmin moved next to him, and Jae leaned into his shoulder.

“Are you okay, hyung?” Changmin asked.

“I will be,” Jae said.

Ueda flew in carrying Hongki.

“Hongki!” Kei cried.

“He’s okay,” Ueda said and deposited the young faerie on the couch. Hongki buried his head in Jae’s lap. “Just a little shocked.”

Kei crawled over and ran fingers through his hair. “Hongki oppa?”

“I’m okay,” he said, but didn’t look up.

“I have to go take care of my clan,” Jun said. “I’ll leave Rachael here until she’s sure that Yoochun won’t attack you guys in a fit of blood lust. And any human want to make yourself scarce.”

“No,” Kei said and clutched at Hongki’s hand. “I won’t leave my oppa.”

Jun rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

He snapped a few things in Japanese to the other vampires and they left. Shige muttered something again about flying as the door shut behind them.

“Shut up about flying,” Ryo shouted.

Rachael walked down the hall. “Okay, your vampire is unconscious in his room, but he’s no longer about to die. Your werewolf is incapacitated in his room—”

Jae leapt up and flew down the hall to Yunho’s room.

“—I’m going to stick around until tomorrow. Yoochun should be alright by then.”

“Thanks,” Changmin said and sighed. “I’m going to go stay with Junsu. We are never going to get this damn album recorded.”

Yunho’s eyes fluttered open when Jaejoong settled on the bed.

“You alright?” Jae whispered and softly kissed him.

Yunho took a deep breath. “Yeah. Rachael says I just need to sleep.”

Jae lay down and gathered Yunho against him. He traced a soft finger over the punctures in his wrist. “Makes you wish you were a faerie, doesn’t it?”

Yunho let out a breath of laughter. “No. Why would I ever want to be a faerie?”

“Because we’re better than you.”

“You wish.”

Jae held him tightly. Within a few minutes, Yunho was asleep. Jae was so tired of this. Tired of having to worry about Yunho being hurt all the time. Maybe they should just quit this stupid integrated shit while they still had a chance.

Jae sighed. Like it mattered now. He’d pretty much cut himself off from the faerie population. He probably wouldn’t have anyone except those that were here right now. Might as well sing and perform.

Someone knocked softly on the door, and he told them to come in.

Ueda popped his head in. “Do you mind if I put Hongki in your bed for the night? He’s really too tired to fly.”

“That’s okay. I’m not using it.”

Ueda smirked. “Athena made us a hammock in your tree, so we’ll sleep up there.”

“Man, wish I had thought of that.”

“Your wolf wouldn’t go up there with you.”  
  
Rachael stared down at Yoochun and sighed. He was so strong, too strong to stay under the power of Jun for long. No one in the clan was surprised when, only twenty years after his turning, he was already his own master. Yoochun could have easily rivaled Jun in power. But Yoochun had always been a loner. Even during the years under Jun, he only ever enjoyed Yamapi’s company.

And then he had to go and take over a clan with that Tsuki bitch. Rachael could have told him that she would turn on him. Tsuki was always a bit power mad.

Yoochun groaned and rolled over.

Rachael reached and touched his shoulder. “Yoochun.”

“Why do I feel like I’ve been through a meat grinder?”

Rachael laughed. “That’s what happens when a crazy vampire bitch sets a few rogues on you.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, but you’re not going to die.”

“Why the hell does my mouth taste like werewolf?”

“You needed a donor and he was the only one available.”

“Why am I naked?”

“You should always be naked.”

“If only you could have your way.”

“We’d be running a clan together.”

“Rach, don’t start, please. I have a headache.”

“So do I. I named it Yoochun.”

“Jun is going to hear about leaving you with me.”

“You know I’m the only one qualified to treat the wounds that you had.”

“I know. And Rach, you know I love you, right?”

“As a sister.”

Yoochun laughed and then winced. Everything hurt.

“Sorry, Chunnie, I’m being selfish. Do you need anything?”

“A drink.”

“Blood or water.”

“Both.”

“Here,” she said and put her wrist out for him. “None of your roommates have enough, unless you want faerie blood, and I’m not letting you anywhere near a human right now.”

Yoochun made a face, but took a few swallows of blood from her wrist. Rachael’s eyes fluttered shut at the first feel of his fangs. It’d been too long. She must have made some needy noise because Yoochun pulled away.

“You’re as bad as Tsuki.”

Rachael hissed at him. “Oh really. Did I betray you and turn your clan over a crazy, power hungry bitch?”

“A lifetime grudge, huh? And what about now that Tsuki is entertaining Jun?”

Rachael pouted and looked away.

“You know that if you hurt her, Jun will kill you.”

“Why do you think she’s still alive?”

Yoochun sighed and rolled on his side. He snuggled up with a pillow. “I guess you won’t let me see Junsu right now.”

“No. Junsu is still really weak from your earlier feeding. You should both be okay in the morning.” Rachael stood up and headed to the door. “I’m going to go get you some water.”

“Hey, Rach,” Yoochun said.

Rachael looked over at him.

“Thank you,” he said.

She didn’t reply and left the room.


	23. If someone doesn’t kill me first.

Ueda flicked his fingers and repaired the balcony door. Athena’s arms wrapped around him, long nails scraping across his stomach.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she whispered.

“Yeah. Fighting vampires is never fun.”

“You’ve done it before.” It wasn’t a question.

“A few times. But only when I have to.”

“How old are you?”

Ueda laughed and turned in her arms. He spread his wings and flew them up in the tree. “Old enough.” He was kissing her before they hit the hammock. But just as her nails scratched across the skin of his lower back, there was frantic knocking on the door.

“Damn it,” he muttered and pressed his face into Athena’s neck.

“Time out,” Athena said.

Ueda flew down to the door. He opened the door. It took a lot to surprise him, but the elusive Matriarch of the Korean vampires standing at the door was enough to render him speechless.

“Your Excellence,” he finally said and bowed.

“Yoochun. Where is he? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. He’s in his room.” Ueda stepped aside. Daniela flew past him in a rush of a black cloak. She didn’t bother knocking at the bedroom door and opened it.

Yoochun on his stomach. Rachael massaging his bare back.

“Your hands are going a bit lower down than they need to,” Yoochun said.

A surge of absolute jealousy rushed through Daniela, and then she squashed it down. “I agree.”

Rachael turned around, the irritated look immediately replaced by shock and then she was up, and on her knees, head bowed.

Yoochun rolled over, blankets slipping dangerously on his hips. Deep red scars covered most of his chest and stomach and arms. He propped up on his elbows.

“Hey, Dany,” he said.

Daniela didn’t pull her eyes away from him and said to Rachael, “Leave us. Now.”

The girl did quickly, and even after the door shut, Daniela stared at him.

Yoochun smiled. “I’m okay.”

Daniela fell to the edge of the bed and traced fingers along the scars. “I shouldn’t have left you. I should have taken her out when I had the chance.”

Yoochun shook his head. “You can’t. You know that.”

“I know, but I still should have.”

“You know my boyfriend wouldn’t be too happy with you touching me like that.”

She didn’t stop. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“And be banished? It’s not worth it.”

“It just upsets me that a young thing like Jun has more freedom and power in this country than I do, and he’s Japanese.”

Yoochun smiled and sat up further. He was used to this from Daniela. “Jun and his clan saved me.”

“I know, and I’m jealous. What about your clan?”

“Rachael says none of them were barbecued, so they’re still out there.”

“I made some discreet inquiries, and for all intents and purposes you should be dead, or you should have clan powers.”

Yoochun shrugged. “Well, I’m not and I don’t.”

Daniela sighed. “What are you going to do?”

“I doubt Lexy is going to have time or resources to turn so many rogues again. Tsuki said there are only four left in the clan anyway. We’ll do a power transfer, and Jun can have them.”

“We knew it was bad, but only four?”

“And you can’t do anything? Even with Lexy—”

“Nope. Not unless it affects the fabric of the hierarchy.”

Yoochun sighed. He didn’t protest when Daniela slid close enough to hold him. “I’m glad you’re okay. I need to go. I wasn’t even supposed to come here.”

“I know. Thanks for coming.”

Daniela pulled away. Her eyes slid down his chest to the blanket barely covering his lap. “You’re naked.”

He laughed. “So now you notice.”

“Rachael—”

“Better keep her hands to herself. I’m not weak enough that she can take advantage of me.”

“I could.”

“I know.”

Daniela leaned in, kissed his lips quickly and then stood up. “Call me and let me know you’re alright.”

“I will.”

At the door, she turned and smiled. “Oh, and I saw your little impromptu performance on your website. You guys are going to be really, really good.”

“If someone doesn’t kill me first.”  
  
v-v

Jun held Yamapi’s hand as they walked. Shige held Ryo’s. It was never fun coming that close to dying. Well, not that it was close, but Ryo had a nasty gash across his stomach, and Shige had a deep cut down his cheek. He and Yamapi had a few scratches. It was more the thought that someone could turn so many rogues in such a short time that worried him.

Lexy was being careless, and it was a surprise to them all that there weren’t more reports of missing people on the news.

Yamapi stopped and hissed, flashing full fangs. They were about a quarter mile from their compound. Jun held up a hand to stop the rest of them.

“What is it?”

“Vampire blood. Not ours.”

“Fan out,” Jun said to the clan. “Kill any intruders immediately.”

Jun shut his eyes. They had left five, as always, to guard. A small thought and he could feel all five of them. Well, three. The other two were dying.

And he had his hostages and prisoners and the ones that owed him allegiance. The ones he couldn’t feel.

“Fuck,” he said.

“I can’t sense anyone in there that shouldn’t be,” Yamapi said.

“Me neither.”

There was an all-clear whistle and then a panicked one from the other side. Still holding hands, they ran there, through a side door, down hallways, past some of the other clan double checking everything.

Jun burst through a door.

Four bodies. None of them his vampires, but ones that had served him enough to be considered his.

He fell to his knees and said one word, “How?”

“We’re working on it, Jun,” someone said, “but they’ve all been staked or shot with silver.”

“Ryo, Shige, go find out what you can.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Everyone else leave,” Jun said, but kept a death grip on Yampai’s hand.

Jun waited until the door shut, then crawled to the first body. Yesung, under his care for thirty years now. Amazing singer, beautiful body. Throat slit, skin bubbled at the edges from a silver blade. Another wound on his stomach and heart.

The next was KyuJong, a real beauty who earned his freedom years and years and years ago, yet stayed for no other reason than he felt appreciated. His face was destroyed.

And then his little Ryeowook. Well, he’d been Yesung’s little Ryeowook. He played the piano while Yesung sang. His fingers were severed. Everyone of them.

The last body was naked. Destroyed, mutilated. Jun had seen some awful things in his life, but this he almost couldn’t handle. Eyes gouged out, throat slit, more than one slash across the stomach and stab wound in the heart.

And across Tsuki’s stomach, thin cuts that spelled out, “Yoochun is mine.”

Jun swallowed. “Damn him. This is his fucking fault.”

Yamapi bit back the protest on his lips, but he made a noise.

Jun stood up quickly and had a hand around his throat. “It’s not? How is it not? You don’t lose control of your clan. Ever.”

“That was twenty years ago,” Yamapi managed to say as fingernails dug into his neck.

“Twenty years is nothing. A blink in time, Yamapi. You ought to know that by now.”

“So then it’s my fault.”

“Why?”

“I turned him.”

Jun snarled and threw Yamapi away. He hit hard against the far wall and landed on the ground. Something broke, but he bit back any other noise.

Jun turned his back on him. “She dies,” he said, and his voice echoed through the whole compound. “Alexandra dies. I don’t care who kills her or who finds her, but I want to see her body in front of me in less than two days.”

He looked back at Yamapi and said, “Get up. We’re going hunting.”

Yamapi forced himself up. His wrist was broken. He hid it from Jun, and followed serenely after him. Jun ignored everyone in the halls until he found Shige and Ryo, quite thoroughly smashing little Jenni between them.

“What happened?”

They let her go, and she dropped to the ground, mindful of his mood. “She completely surprised us, Jun. I don’t even know how. Suddenly, there were four vampires in here that shouldn’t have been, and Kame fell first and then Aoi and then we tried to fight, but it was like … I don’t know, Jun. I’ve never felt so powerless.”

“Someone had to have helped them,” Ryo said, but only loud enough for Jun and Yamapi to hear. Jun didn’t want to think about that. Who would have dared defy him by helping someone break in and kill or injure members of HIS clan?

“Lexy only wanted that girl,” Jenni continued.

“Any other losses?” Jun asked.

“Kame had his heart ripped out,” Shige said, “but Aoi should be alright with a lot of rest.”

“Good.”

Shige gave him a crooked grin. “Permission to kill, huh?”

“Yes, but don’t take any stupid chances. If she has someone with her that can do mind control, then we’re all in trouble.”

“Who else can do it but you?” Ryo asked.

A few names flitted through Jun’s mind, but there was only one that could have been a possibility. He met Yamapi’s eyes. It didn’t make sense. He turned Yamapi before he realized that he had control over what powers he had that his vampires would inherit. Yamapi had been with him the whole night. Fought next to him and protected him.

And then there was Yoochun, a vampire that no one could figure out. But Jun highly doubted that Yoochun would offer himself up as vampire dinner just to cause a distraction.

There was a tug on his brain.

 _Don’t even think about it,_ Jun said.

_What? I’m giving you access, so you can see that I didn’t do it._

Jun held his eyes for a few more seconds. He could feel that open abyss in Yamapi’s mind. _I don’t need to check._

Jun turned back to the others. “No one leaves. You understand me, Ryo, Shige. No one. Corral them in the mess hall or something, but no one leaves.”

“What about your call to kill?” Shige asked with a frown.

Jun smirked and tossed a mental note to every vampire that they were grounded until dawn.

Ryo laughed. “Yes, Dad.”

“I’m sure you two will find something to do with your time,” Jun said with a look at Jenni. “We’ll be back before dawn.”

“You might want to splint that wrist, Pi,” Ryo said.

Jun looked back at him sharply. “You’re hurt?”

“Someone threw me against a wall.”

Jun grabbed his uninjured arm and dragged him down the hallway. “You’re such a stubborn piece of shit,” he muttered.

“And with you in your current mood, a little broken wrist can wait.”

Jun slammed him against the wall. “I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“Don’t make me say it again. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Jun kissed him. Deep, searching for comfort and something to hold on to while life and his world slipped away from him.

“I feel exposed and vulnerable,” he continued, lips grazing, “and I hate it. But it’s also a shot of reality. Even being this old, I still take things for granted. What if that had been you, dead with your body torn up? What if it was Ryo or Shige? I already lost enough of myself when we found Massau. I will personally make you regret it if you tell any one I said this, but damn it, Yamapi, I love you.”

Yamapi’s smile was worth it.


	24. How many old jealous lovers of yours are going to be making your life difficult?

Only the two suffering from blood loss slept before dawn.

In Changmin's room, Changmin sat against the headboard of his bed. Rachael had moved Junsu there so Yoochun could be in his room. Junsu never woke up. He tossed and turned and cried out for Yoochun every now and then. He was using Changmin’s thigh as a pillow, arms wrapped around his leg tightly. Changmin needed to move. He had already called Lee Sooman and left a message about the attack. Now he was going over their schedule, brow creased with worry. There was no way they were going to debut when they wanted to. Especially if shit like this kept happening.

His phone beeped.

A text from Deanna. +you need to sleep+

-I am.:)-

+can I come over yet?+

-if you want. We won’t be leaving tomorrow, so you can spend all day with me-

+I’ll be there soon.+

Someone knocked on his door. “Come in.”

The female vampire poked her head in. “Yoochun is demanding that the elf be brought to him.” She made a face.

“He’s okay already?”

“Yes. You guys have no idea how powerful a vampire Yoochun is,” she said. “I would have been surprised if it took him more than a few hours to recover.”

Changmin stood up. He tried to wake Junsu up, but Junsu didn’t respond. Changmin scooped him up in his arms.

“Chunnie,” he muttered.

“In a minute,” Changmin said.

“Now.”

Rachael grumbled as Changmin led the way to Yoochun’s room. Yoochun smiled widely when Changmin came in. He set him on the bed, and Junsu curled up around Yoochun’s body. He stopped shaking. He stopped muttering. He smiled in his sleep and said Yoochun’s name.

Yoochun kissed his head. “I’m here,” he whispered.

Rachael rolled her eyes. “Look, I have to go. There are some problems at the compound.”

Yoochun’s head shot up and his eyes flashed. “What kind?”

“I don’t know. Jun just told me to get my ass back to the compound.”

Yoochun shut his eyes and contacted Yamapi. _What’s wrong?_

Cool air, silence and darkness met him. He panicked for a moment, and then Yamapi set a wave of reassurance at him.

_We’re alright. Someone, you’ll never guess who, decided to make life a bit suckier. Tsuki is dead. We lost Kame. Jun and I are hunting her. We’ll come see you later._

_Where are you?_

_No. You rest. You’ve been through enough tonight._

Yamapi cut the connection and, to his supreme annoyance, blocked him.

“You better go,” he said to Rachael.

“I know.”

She leaned down and Yoochun allowed a kiss to his cheek. She wouldn’t let him see her cry, but as soon as she left the room, tears trekked down her cheeks.

Changmin shook his head after her. “And Jae thinks the girls all like me. How many old jealous lovers of yours are going to be making your life difficult?”

Yoochun smiled. “I think that’s it. Your vampire friend is here.”

Changmin grinned. “Don’t eat him,” he said, pointing a finger at Junsu.

“Not until he’s awake enough to enjoy it.”

Changmin laughed and went out to the living room.  
  
In Jae’s room, Hongki lay staring at the ceiling. Kei curled up against him, head on his bare chest, warm body pressed along his side and leg. He ran a soft touch through her hair.

The night ran on repeat. The light, the bodies curdling, falling, disintegrating. And the screams. Ueda said they were barely sentient, more animals, but even killing animals didn’t come easily to a faerie.

He shivered. He knew that these images would never leave him. Tears fell from the corners of his eyes.

Kei sighed and shifted, but didn’t wake up. He tightened his hold on her, buried his face in her hair, and tried, tried, tried to remember her. Tried to replace the nightmares with thoughts of her kisses and touches and smiles. But after a moment, it was her body being attacked by light, her body falling to pieces, while he cried and screamed and fought against arms that held him.

In Yunho's room, Jae lay, watching Yunho’s eyes flutter in his sleep. He slept for a little while, but nerves, adrenaline and worries of their future together kept him awake. He traced soft circles on Yunho’s chest and stomach.

Through the next wall, he heard a scream and rolled his eyes. HongKi and his human were at it again.

But then that human called him, panic in her voice. “Jaejoong oppa!”

Jae disentangled his legs and arms from Yunho’s body and padded to the next room. He opened the door. Kei was sitting up, shaking Hongki, trying to wake him up.

“He just started screaming,” Kei said, tears streaking down her face.

Jae flicked light, water and a few other spells at Hongki. When none of those worked in waking him up, Jae smacked him.

Hongki sat up quickly, gasping.

Jae floated over his bed. “Awake now?”

Hongki swallowed. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks.”

Kei clasped onto him, face buried in his chest. “Oppa, are you alright?”

Hongki kissed her. “Just another nightmare.”

“Come on,” Jae said and tugged on his arm. “Let’s go do another circle. You need it.”

“Yeah.”

Jae helped him up and Hongki put his arm around Kei’s waist.

“What time is it?”

“A couple hours before dawn.”

They went into the living room. Ueda and Athena were still up in the hammock. Changmin sat on the couch, the young vampire sitting next to him.

“We’re going to do a circle,” Jae said, “so your vampire girl might want to make herself scarce.”

Changmin grinned. “Guess we’ll go to my room,” he said.

Dee blushed, but took Changmin’s offered hand and stood up.

Ueda flew down from the tree. The three of them sat, holding hands and Ueda led the energy transfer.

Halfway through, Yunho stumbled into the living room.

“Yunho,” Jae said, worry in his voice.

Yunho winced and waved his hand. “I missed you,” he muttered and sat right behind Jae. He wrapped his legs and arms around him, and then shivered as the strands of light expanded to include him in the circle.

When it was done, Jae turned his upper body to berate Yunho for getting out of bed, but only a single noise passed his lips before Yunho was kissing him. Jae melted into it, hand reaching to tangle in his hair.

“Feeling better, I take it,” Ueda said with a laugh.

“Now I am,” Yunho whispered against Jae’s lips, and their kiss continued.

“Do you feel better?” Ueda asked Hongki.

Hongki leaned into the support of Kei behind him. “Yes, thank you.”

Ueda cupped Hongki’s face in his hands. “It was awful. It was disgusting. It went against everything we stand for and believe in. But it was necessary. You must understand that. Our friends could have been injured. Yoochun could have died. I’m not trying to undermine your feelings, because you have every right to feel like shit, I saying these things so you can understand that we were all affected by it.”

“Thank you,” Hongki whispered and hugged him.

Kei suddenly giggled. “Sorry,” she said and pointed to YunJae making out on the floor.

Ueda rolled his eyes. He nudged Jae’s ass with his foot. “Go take that into your room.”

Jae flipped him off, but supporting Yunho and still managing to stay attached at the lips, Jae stood up and carried the weak werewolf back down the hall.

“You should still be sleeping,” Jae said as he laid Yunho back in bed.

“I know, but you left and I was cold and I couldn’t get comfortable without you.”

They rearranged the blankets, and comfort came after Jae curled up and laid his head at Yunho’s shoulder. Yunho hugged him, face buried in his hair, fingers playing with the edges of his wings.

“I love you,” Yunho whispered.

“What?” Jae said, propping up a bit to look into golden eyes.

“What do you mean what?” Yunho asked, looking away.

There was silence as Jae stared, eyes taking in the downward look, the biting of the lower lip. The frown.

“You mean it?” Jae said.

“Of course.”

Jae reached and touched Yunho’s cheeks, turning his face so their eyes met. “Say it again.”

“Isn’t it your turn to say it?” Yunho asked, uncomfortable.

“I love you. Okay, say it again.”

“Do you mean it?”

“God, yes, I mean it. Say it again.”

“I love you.”

Jae kissed him. “I love you.” He repeated it. Over and over, a short kiss between each declaration.

Until Yunho laughed. “Alright, alright. You love me.”

Jae pouted. “Don’t laugh at me.”

Yunho held him more tightly. “I didn’t.”

“You did.”

“Okay, I did. And I’m sorry, but it’s just you and … well, never mind. If I keep talking I’m going to get myself in trouble.”

Jae’s eyes narrowed. “Keep talking.”

“How about I go back to sleep, and then if you’re still mad at me when I wake up, I make you forget about it?”

Jae laughed. “Fine. Go to sleep.”

Yunho sighed, shut his eyes and relaxed as Jae ran fingertips along his chest and stomach.

“I love you,” he whispered again.

“I love you.”

In Yoochun's room, Yoochun watched as darkness was replaced by gray, and gray was replaced by not quite dawn. He reluctantly shut the curtains.

Everything was falling apart. But he should have known that he couldn’t hide from a clan that wanted him dead. He got lazy, complacent. And now they were all dead anyway. And Tsuki was dead. He had loved her, still did in a nostalgic sort of way. Power made people do stupid things. He knew that. Even when he was in charge of the clan, he’d been stupid, thinking that no one would dare usurp him.

_Let us in, or your window gets broken again._

Yoochun jerked at the forcefulness of the thought, but padded out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

Ueda whistled at him from in the tree. Yoochun flipped him off and opened the balcony door about one second before Jun and Yamapi landed behind it.

“Do you always open your balcony door naked?” Jun asked, scanning him head to toe.

“Only when you guys come over,” Yoochun replied with a grin.

“God, I can’t believe you’re on your feet already,” Yamapi said. “Those are some nasty scars.”

“I’m alright. I take it you didn’t find Lexy.”

“No,” Jun said, “but we know where to start looking. I’ve put out a kill tag on her from my clan, and trust me, they’ll take care of it. They all want to revenge Kame’s death. Are you going to be stupid and leave your house tonight?”

“Probably,” Yoochun said. “I won’t risk my friends or the lives of the other tenants, and if Lexy is going to come after me, then I’d rather have her kill me than hurt anyone else.”

“Sorry,” Jun said, “but I am officially grounding you.”

Yoochun scoffed. “Grounding me?”

“Yeah. We’ll station guards, six or seven, around here. Okay? This may come as a complete surprise to you, but I sorta like you alive.”

“You mean dead.”

Jun rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Just stay inside tonight, okay?”

“Fine.”

“We’d love to stay and chat,” Yamapi said, “but we’re cutting it close to sunrise.”

“Yeah.”

“Your elf is coming,” Jun said with a smirk. “Can’t wait for you to explain this one.”

“Chunnie,” Junsu whispered.

Yoochun turned a full smile to him. “What are you doing out of bed?” he asked and walked toward him. Junsu looked at his naked body, at the two vampires behind him and then promptly turned around and went back toward the room.

“Damn it,” Yoochun muttered.

Yamapi laughed and shouted, “Calm down, Elf. He came to open the door for us and we gave him no time to get dressed.”

“I should have just let you break it,” Yoochun called over his shoulder.

Junsu slammed the bedroom door, and Yoochun wasn’t surprised when he found it locked.

“Jae!” he shouted.

“Can’t do it, Chun,” Jae shouted back. “He’s holding it locked with his magic.”

So Yoochun did the next best thing. Weak as he was, it took two forceful shots of his fist for the hinges to snap off instead of just one. The door sagged to the right. He moved it, set it back where it belonged and went into his bedroom.

Junsu sat cross legged in the very far corner, facing the wall.

Yoochun said nothing and crawled into bed, under the covers. He lay on his side and propped up on an elbow facing Junsu. He stared at him, at his bare back, the muscles tensing and relaxing. The skin shivering. He ached to touch it, to run fingers along the band of his sweatpants.

“I love you,” Yoochun whispered. Probably not the best way to handle this, but at least it would get a reaction out of the quiet elf.

“I know,” he whispered.

“Yamapi was telling the truth. He called me and said to let them in before they broke the door again.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you so upset?”

Junsu turned around, eyes narrowed. “Because that body is mine,” he said and crawled over to Yoochun. He pushed his shoulders to the bed and straddled his waist. “It’s not theirs to even look at. It’s mine.”

He ran soft fingers over the scars on Yoochun’s chest. “I could feel it, you know,” he whispered. “I felt them tearing you apart and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Yoochun’s eyes went wide.

“I was paralyzed, in this half state and you were hurting and I couldn’t get to you and then when I wake up and you’re not next to me anymore and I walk out there and see you naked in front of two incredibly gorgeous vampires, and … Damn it, Yoochun, you’re mine. You understand?”

“How? How did you feel it?”

Junsu looked up and sighed. “It’s an elf thing but when we give ourselves to someone, we go all the way. I can feel you, and sense you, and it’s not as clear as it would be if you were an elf, and if you were an elf, we could probably speak to each other mentally, but since you’re a vampire and vampires can’t—”

_I love you._

Junsu stopped and his eyes went wide.

_Vampires can’t do what? Yoochun asked with a smirk._

“But—”

_If they’re powerful enough, they can. I don’t do it often. Usually only with Yamapi, and only if I need him to come save my ass from a group of hungry vampire rogues._

“I’m sorry,” he said aloud, “and you’re right. I should have thrown pants on. It would have taken me two seconds. I could have and should have told them to wait that long. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Alright, alright,” Junsu said. “Enough with the clichéd apologies.”

Yoochun sat up and gathered Junsu into his arms. “We both need to sleep more, especially you.”

“Me? I’m not the one that was half eaten less than eight hours ago.”

“Nope, a bit longer than that, when I practically drained you.”

They lay back on the bed. Yoochun held him close, placed kisses on his forehead. “I mean it,” he whispered. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Junsu replied.

“Let’s take a nap,” Yoochun said, “replenish ourselves a bit more, and then you can take this body that is yours and do whatever you want to it.”


	25. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

Dusk found the five band mates more or less alone. Yunho and Jaejoong curled up on the couch, ignoring the movie on TV. Changmin and Deanna sat in the kitchen, giggling over nonsense. Yoochun and Junsu were still in bed. Ueda, Athena, and HongKei had left to continue peaceful protests outside of SM.

Yunho pulled away from Jae’s lips and sighed.

“What?” Jae said.

“I feel like we’re never going to get ready to debut.”

“As soon as this vampire shit is taken care of, things should settle down.”

“I know, but I’m antsy, I want to dance and work and we just wasted another day.”

Jae pushed away with a mock look of horror. “Wasted? Wasted? You call an entire day of fantastic sex with me a waste? How dare you.”

Yunho smiled. “You know what I mean.” His head swiveled to the door and his eyes went golden right before there was a knock.

Jae rolled his eyes. “Vampires, I take it.”

“Yep.”

Jae, unwilling to get up, flicked his hand at the door to open it.

Ryo and Shige came in first, followed by Jun and Yamapi and Rachael and three unfamiliar vampires behind them.

“Where’s Yoochun?” Jun asked.

“In his room,” Yunho replied.

“How’s he doing?”

Jae smirked. “Well, for as often as we’ve heard Junsu calling his name, I’d say he’s doing great.”

Jun grinned and then turned to Rachael. The grin turned into a smirk. “Rachael. Why don’t you go double check and make sure Yoochun is okay?”

Rachael’s face froze, but she nodded and took a deep breath and headed down the hall.

 _That’s cruel,_ Yamapi said. _I could have just called him._

Jun shrugged. _This is more fun._

_True._

Rachael took deep breaths as she headed down the hall. As she opened the door to Yoochun’s bedroom, she thought she had prepared herself for what she would find. Her whole body froze, watching the two naked bodies on the bed. Yoochun’s mouth was attached to the elf’s neck. She shut her eyes and listened to sounds, inhaled the sweet scent of elf blood. When they opened, she found herself paralyzed by Yoochun’s stare. He smiled, licked blood off his teeth, and then turned his attention back to the squirming body beneath him.

Rachael made a hasty retreat and leaned against the door. She took deep breaths again to hold back her tears and stalked back down the hallway.

“They’re busy,” Rachael snapped.

Jun’s eyebrows rose at the tone, and Rachael swallowed. Fuck. Jun pointed to a spot just behind him, and Rachael went there and dropped to her knees, head lowered.

 _See?_ Jun said to Yamapi. _Fun._

Out loud he said, “Okay, well, I guess he doesn’t necessarily have to be here.”

“Changmin!” Yunho shouted.

Changmin and Deanna came into the living room. Deanna paled further when she saw the Japanese Demons, but after a nervous bow and formal greeting, which Jun waved away, they settled together in an arm chair.

“So what’s the plan for tonight?” Yamapi asked.

Yunho shrugged. “No plans, not with Yoochun grounded and none of us willing to leave him alone.”

“I doubt you’d be able to pry that elf of his away from him,” Jun said, “but it makes me feel better knowing that he actually listened to me for once.”

“I think being partially eaten had something to do with that,” Jae said with a face.

“Most of my clan is already out hunting Lexy,” Jun said. “Yamapi and I are going to join them. Ryo, Shige, Jenni, Tora and Tarta are going to be up on your roof tonight. If Lexy even comes close, she’ll be dead.”

“What about the rest of them?”

Everyone spun to Yoochun in the hallway. He only wore jeans and sweat still shone on his skin. He stank of elf blood, splatters of it down his chest. And all the vampires in the room unconsciously licked their lips.

“The rest of—”

“With Tsuki dead there should be two more of them out there.”

“Do you really believe that?” Jun asked quietly.

Yoochun looked down and then shook his head. “No, but I’d prefer not to label them as casualties until I have to.”

“Are you going to let me close enough to drug you?” Jun asked.

“Why?”

“Because I know you. The first hint of trouble and you’re going to be up on that roof and—”

“This is my mess—”

“That was true until—”

“How—”

“Later,” Jun snapped.

Jae looked between the two of them. “Did everyone else follow that?”

Yamapi smirked. “You get used to it.”

“You guys get up on the roof,” Jun commanded. “And no distractions,” he added with a pointed look at Jenni.

“Of course not,” she said, but her eyes flicked to Tora. Tora leered at her.

Jun rolled his eyes. “Jenni is by herself,” he said to Ryo.

“Jun,” she said in protest. “I know how important this is.”

“Then you won’t mind being separated from temptation, now will you?”

“No, sir.”

As the five vampires moved through the living room, Changmin said, “Don’t break that door again.”

Shige laughed. “Man, take all the fun out of it.”

Ryo shoved him and opened the door. The five vampires disappeared.

Jun sighed. “We need to talk privately for a moment.”

“About?” Yoochun asked.

“Private stuff,” Yamapi said with an eye roll.

“Yunho, we’re going to go borrow your room,” Yoochun said.

Yunho cringed but nodded.

Jun walked by Deanna and Changmin, and then stopped and cocked his head. “You doing okay, Dee?”

She swallowed. “Yes, my Lord.”

“Cravings still pretty bad?”

She nodded.

“If you need anything, come find me,” he said.

Yoochun scoffed. “Come to me first,” he said. “I won’t require something in return.”

“Damn it, Yoochun,” Jun said as they headed down the hall. “I’m trying to make a business deal.”

Yamapi laughed.

Yoochun motioned the two vampires into Yunho’s room. Yamapi’s nose scrunched. “Smells like wolf and faerie,” he said and made a gagging noise.

Yoochun shut the door. “So what’s up?”

“It’s why were here. I shouldn’t be helping you fix this mess, but Lexy broke into our compound and killed Kame and that, as you know, makes it my business. The problem is that she did it with some help.”

“What?”

“Well, those at the compound said someone grabbed control of their mind.”

Yoochun’s eyes narrowed. “Do you know who?”

“At first we figured it was someone on the inside, but Yamapi had a revelation this morning, and we decided that it was you.”

“What?”

Jun grinned.

“You lost your clan powers, right?” Yamapi asked.

“Yes. Almost right after I left, which is why I was confused when Daniela was here suddenly saying I still had a clan.”

Jun explained, “We were talking this morning and came to the conclusion that you’re powerful enough that you just transferred clan leader abilities to Lexy as soon as you left and now that she thinks she’s strong enough, she’s out for revenge.”

“Comforting.”

“It’s better than thinking there’s a traitor in my clan,” Jun said.

“And there’s not?” Yoochun asked.

“No. I went through all of their minds today and each one of them showed the same thing. Just suddenly they had no control over their bodies.”

“So Lexy can control minds. Great.”

“Well, you are pretty powerful,” Yamapi said. “Transferring power like that without realizing it proves that even more. I’m sure you gave her abilities that you would much rather not have.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. We better go. Promise to stay off your roof tonight.”

“I already did.”

Yoochun opened the door. Junsu was leaning against the opposite hall. His eyes narrowed.

“Caught in a compromising position again,” Yamapi muttered. “Sorry, Junsu, we had to talk.”

“I know,” he said, eyes never leaving Yoochun as he grabbed him by the top of his jeans and pulled him away from the other two vampires. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Yoochun looked behind him and smiled as Junsu dragged him down the hall. “I guess I need to be punished,” he said. “I doubt I’ll be leaving my bedroom any time soon.”

Their laughter was cut off when loud, frantic knocking echoed through the apartment.

Yoochun and Junsu stopped, and then followed Jun and Yamapi out to the living room.

“It’s Sylver,” Jae said and when he raised a hand to open the door, Yunho stopped his arm.

“Sylver,” Yunho called.

“Changmin!”

“God, always calls for the zombie first,” Jae muttered.

“Not the time, Jae,” Yunho said. “Are you alone, Sylver?”

“God, yes, please, let me in.”

Yamapi and Yoochun went to the door.

“Just a second,” Yamapi said. “We’re having problems and we need to make sure you’re alone.”

“I am, and she has Jessica and—”

Yoochun flung the door open. “Who has Jessica?” he asked, even though he had a pretty good idea.

“Lexy.”

The three vampires hissed.

And then Yamapi laughed. “Looks like you gave her disillusion powers, too. Good job.”

“So what do we do?” Jae asked.

“Sylver, is Jessica alone?”

Sylver nodded. “Her parents took her sister out, something special for her birthday. That’s why I was over.” He blushed and looked away.

Yamapi slapped him on the back with a laugh. “Good plan.”

“I get so tired of telling you to shut up,” Jun muttered.

“This is going to be tricky,” Yoochun said.

“What do you mean? We go in there and take her. There’s no way she’s more powerful than the three of us.”

“If we do that, then she kills Jessica.”

“She’s just a human,” Jun said.

The five band mates all stiffened and glared at him.

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay. The human lives.”


	26. I shouldn't have ever let it go.

Jae disillusioned himself just outside the door to Jessica’s apartment.

“Don’t worry,” Yamapi had said. “She’ll know you’re coming, just not from where.”

“Comforting,” Jae had muttered.

Yunho had kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry. She can’t eat you.”

“Look, zap her if you can,” Jun said, “but she’s probably going to disillusion herself, too. But don’t worry. We won’t be far behind.”

“Don’t worry,” Jae mocked. “Yeah, whatever.” With thoughts of a spa treatment (long over due) or a moment with Yunho (again long over due, hey ten minutes was a long time) flowing through his mind, he flowed through the door.

As soon as he entered the living room, a voice called out, “They sent a wee little faerie.”

“What do you want?” Jae asked.

“Yoochun.”

“Yes, well, Yoochun is currently on the verge of death.”

“The human dies and I take out the other tenants until I get what I want from Yoochun.”

“What do you want from Yoochun?”

Lexy laughed, and it made Jae shiver. “He just needs to die.”

Jae entered the bedroom, but didn’t say anything else. The vampire may not have been able to see him, but she’d be able to hear him.

Jessica was in the corner, tied up with duct tape on her ankles, wrists, mouth and over her eyes. Her entire body was quivering. Jae squelched his need to toss some light at her. That would definitely give his position away.

“Ah, is the wee little faerie scared?” Lexy’s voice seemed to come from all directions.

Jae kept his back pressed to a wall.

“I know you’re still here. Where is everyone else? I know that Jun and Yamapi came into the building. And your werewolf, where is he to protect you? Maybe I should go and pay him a visit, since you seem to care more about the girl than you do him.”

Jae shut his eyes in an attempt to keep his breathing under control. He couldn’t feel this vampire, or see her, or hear her or anything, and she didn’t say anything. Fuck, Jae thought. Calm down. Yunho has Junsu and Rachael and a couple of those other vamps up there with him. He moved closer to the girl. All he had to do was touch her and disillusion her.

A foot away he hit a wall of air.

Fuck again.

He lost control when something that felt like claws dug into his neck.

“Nice try, faerie.”

With the last bit of strength he could muster, Jae threw light around the room.

The hand released him and there was a tiny scream and then more screams. Jae landed hard on his knees, eyes focused on the girl. He crawled to her, the barrier gone. He didn’t look at the room, but covered her body with his and started sliding light through the duct tape.

“Don’t worry. You’re okay now.”

v-v

As soon as the flash of light faded from the room, Jun and Yamapi and Yoochun ran in.

Lexy was on the ground, trying to put out a fire on her sleeve. Jun grabbed her mind and her entire body froze. He picked up on the panic as her body continued to burn.

“Oh, see and this isn’t fun at all,” Yamapi said. “I want to hear her scream.”

Jun let up just a bit and Lexy started screaming obscenities at him.

Yoochun winced and said, “Jun.”

Jun rolled his eyes. “This bitch ruined your life, remember.”

“I know, I know. Just …”

Yoochun looked Lexy over. He’d been shocked how old Lexy was when she’d come requesting sanctuary in his clan. She’d been turned so young. Such a waste.

“Oh, let me kill her,” Yamapi whined.

“No,” Yoochun said. He kneeled next to the girl—the three hundred year old girl—and shook his head. “What happened to you?”

She hissed at him.

“Ooh, let’s watch her burn,” Yamapi said with a grin.

“Shut up, Pi,” Jun said.

Yoochun took a deep breath and then patted out the flames on Lexy’s arm.

“I hate you, I hate you, I hate you,” Lexy screamed.

Yoochun held her shoulders, pinned her to the floor and then said, “Jun, let her go.”

Jun hesitated, but then did as he was told. Lexy lashed out at Yoochun, catching his arm with long nails, but then Yoochun held her still and closed fangs over her neck. He connected to her, let her struggle all she wanted, and drained her of everything. He pulled at her mind, pulled at the human blood in her veins and pulled at her power. Colors intensified, sounds echoed and grew sharp, a few pinpricks of thought tickled the back of his mind.

And then Lexy went still.

Yoochun pushed away from her, falling against the wall.

“Yeah?” Jun questioned, and Yoochun nodded.

“Go for it, Pi,” Jun said.

“Sweet,” Yamapi crowed and then unsheathed a silver machete from his hip. He pierced the heart first, Lexy’s body jerked, mouth open in a silent scream, and then Yamapi swung the blade and sliced through her neck.

“Not as satisfying as doing it when she’s alive enough to scream,” Yamapi said, “but I’ll take it.”

Yoochun leaned against the wall, gasping, trying to get used to the power coursing through him. Lexy hadn’t been idle. She’d cultivated what Yoochun had given her, made everything stronger, and Yoochun knew with just a thought he could probably kill Yamapi, take over Jun’s mind and laugh if Jae tried to throw light at him.

God, he hated it.

 _You want me to take it?_ Jun asked.

Yoochun shook his head. _No. It’s mine. I shouldn’t have ever let it go._

_Nope._

Yamapi moved across the room and placed a hand on Jae’s shoulder. Jae whipped around, hand out, light dancing on the palm. Yamapi winced against it, throwing his hands up, “Woah, there. It’s alright now.”

Jae looked around the room. His face scrunched at the dead vampire. “Ew.”

“Want to dispose of it?”

Jae flicked a stream of light at the corpse, and Jun and Yamapi hissed in irritation. It didn’t even faze Yoochun.

“I meant after we left,” Yamapi said, rubbing a red mark on his arm.

“Sorry.”

Jun kneeled in front of Yoochun. “Are you alright?”

Yoochun shook his head. “Just between you and me,” he muttered and snagged control of Jun’s mind like he was overtaking a human’s. He only held it for two moments and then released him.

Jun’s eyes went wide. “Fuck.”

“I know.”

Jun leaned away, wary. “Yoochun, that’s …”

Yoochun put his face in his hands. “I know.”

“What’s going on?” Yamapi demanded.

Jun looked over at him, back at Yoochun.  
_Don’t._ The command was simple and Jun had an uncontrollable urge to do whatever Yoochun said.

“Fuck.” Jun stood up. “You need to talk to Daniela.”

“No. I don’t.”

“Yes, you do. Because if they find out about this, you’re as good as dead.”

“Who’s going to find out?”

Jun heard the slight warning in his voice. It was true. Unless Yoochun or Jun blabbed, no one else would know. And he knew that Yoochun wasn’t going to tell anyone.

Jun motioned to Yamapi. “Let’s get out of here.”

They headed out.

“Hey, Jun.”

Jun winced and stopped, but didn’t turn around.

“Thanks for your help. I’ll make it up to you one day.”

Jun nodded.

Yoochun sighed and rubbed his hands against his face.

“What was that about?” Jae asked.

Yoochun shook his head, and looked at the girl. She was free, but still clung to Jae, face hidden.

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah, just shook up a bit.”

“Stay with her. I’m going to go get Sylver and have Junsu come down and give her some energy.”

Jae nodded. He frowned after Yoochun’s retreating figure, wondering at the sudden ache in Yoochun’s voice. And then he made a face. He flicked a bit of light everywhere, cleaning the room and removing any sign of their presence.

Yoochun entered their apartment.

“Lexy’s dead. Sylver, Jessica needs you and Junsu, go give her some energy. She’s pretty shook up.”

He walked past them all, and then in a quick move, darted around Junsu’s questing arm. He closed his mind off to him.

“Chunnie?”

“Later, Junsu,” he snapped and then sent a wave of apology at him. He left the house, out the balcony door. With little less than a thought, he scaled the wall and sat on the edge of the roof, over looking the city. He sat there for hours with his presence closed off to everything. So much power ran through him. So much and he hated it and had no idea what to do with it. It’s why he left the clan in the first place.

The sky turned gray with dawn, and he waited to be worried about. All vampires had this sense, this internal warning that hit right before the sun rose above the horizon. But Yoochun’s was quiet. He knew he had to get inside, but sat and watched the sun rise for the first time in a hundred years.

The sun was warm on his skin, but not the “I’m about to die” warm. It felt like it used to, a hundred and some odd years ago when he’d sit on his roof with a pad of paper, writing music while he should have been taking a biology exam.

He felt the werewolf coming moments before the fire escape moved. Every sound was amplified. He could hear Yunho’s heart beating.

“Sit over there,” Yoochun said, pointing.

Yunho contemplated sitting right next to him, but had no idea what was up with the vampire. He sat about four feet away.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing that concerns you.”

“You’re my band mate, and I’m your leader, so it does concern me.”

Yoochun hissed at him.

Yunho growled automatically and then forced himself to take a deep breath and swallow his anger.

“And I’d like to call you my friend,” Yunho said.

Yoochun felt the anger and distrust and dislike and all the under currents of Werewolf/Vampire hatred boiling behind his concerned façade.

“You hate me,” Yoochun said.

“No, I don’t.”

“You hate vampires.”

Yunho cringed. “I’m trying not to, but it’s hard. Are you saying that after years of hating werewolves, it’s just gone?”

Yoochun scoffed.

“What’s wrong?”

Yoochun took another deep breath. “I really just need to be left alone right now.”

He flung himself off the edge of the roof. Yunho’s breath caught, but his shout died at his lips as Yoochun landed safely on the building next to theirs and then he ran, blurred and Yunho lost sight of him.

Yunho sighed. “Well, that’s new,” he said, and climbed back down the fire escape.

Jae met him at the bottom and hugged him. “What happened?”

“He needs to be alone. He took off.”

“Okay,” Jae said. “I hope he’s back soon. Hey, maybe we can go to the studio today.”

And that’s when Yunho realized that it was morning. And the sun was up, and Yoochun had just sat and had a conversation with him in the sun and ran off in the sun.

“Holy fuck,” Yunho said and looked outside.

“What?”

Yunho’s eyes were wide. “Yoochun’s in the sunlight.”

Jae’s eyes mirrored Yunho’s. “How the hell—”

Yunho shrugged. “I have no idea.”

They went back to the living room. Junsu was curled on the arm chair, frowning at his cell phone. Yoochun wasn’t answering and when Junsu tried to reach for him mentally, he hit a wall.

“Changmin! Team meeting,” Yunho called.

“Just a minute, hyung!” he called back.

“What’s wrong?” Junsu asked.

“Is Yoochun answering his cell?”

Junsu shook his head. “It goes right to voicemail.”

Changmin sauntered in the living room. He wore only jeans, and his hair was messed up. There were obvious bite marks on his chest and stomach.

Jae scoffed. “Having fun while we all saved the day?”

Changmin shrugged and smiled. “Maybe.”

Yunho frowned. “But Deanna?”

“All worn out and sleeping,” Changmin said with another satisfied smirk.

Jae shivered. “Zombie sex.”

“Better than faerie sex,” Changmin replied. “I’m surprised you let yourself get all sweaty.”

When Jae opened his mouth to retort, Yunho said, “Hey, knock it off. We have a problem.”

“What?”

“Yoochun.”

“What about him?” Junsu demanded.

“He just left and ran. With no sunscreen. In the sun.”

Both Junsu and Changmin stared in shock.

“What the fuck happened downstairs?” Junsu asked and looked at Jae.

Jae shrugged. “I don’t know. I was protecting Jessica.”

“This does not go beyond this room,” Yunho said. “Understand?”

“Who would we tell?” Jae asked.

Yunho shrugged. “I don’t know. Ueda, Athena, Dee. No one knows. Okay?”

They all nodded.

“Can’t you call those vampires and ask them what happened?” Junsu asked.

“I don’t have their number, do you guys?”

They all shook their heads.

“I guess we wait for Yoochun to get back,” Changmin said.

“What if he doesn’t come back?” Jae whispered, and they all looked at Junsu

Junsu made a desperate noise in the back of his throat and then curled around a pillow and stared at his phone.


	27. The thought of leaving Junsu made his heart ache.

At almost midnight, Yoochun stared into the apartment from the balcony. None inside could see him. Even Yunho hadn’t sensed him.

Yunho and Jaejoong were curled up on the couch. Changmin sat in the arm chair, eating ice cream. Junsu wasn’t in the living room, but it only took a moment to find his aura in their bedroom.

Their? Yoochun smiled. Yeah, theirs. He doubted that Junsu would go back to his and Yunho’s room, and hell, even Jaejoong wasn’t using his room anymore.

Only once during the height of the sun at noon had his skin prickled a bit. Yoochun was pretty sure the only thing he couldn’t do now was fly. And considering how fast he could run and how high he could jump, not being able to fly hardly mattered.

He took another deep breath. Just being around them was going to endanger them. Not from him, but Jun would not, would not, just let Yoochun threaten him like he had.

Yoochun tried to convince himself that Jun would see sense, realize that Yoochun had no desire at all to take over or become powerful or make his own clan. The only way to put Jun at ease would be to do a transfer power, but that was not an option. Giving Jun as much power as Yoochun had now would be stupid and dangerous for everyone.

Yoochun wasn’t power hungry.

Jun was.

Yoochun sighed, relaxed his mind and sent a question at Jun.

Jun was busy, with Yamapi. Yoochun could feel the currents of pleasure and lust from both of them through his link to Jun. He’d never been able to sense things like that before, not unless Yamapi sent the feelings to him.

 _What?_ Jun snapped.

Yoochun scoffed. _Contact me when you’re done, please._

Jun grunted, and Yoochun cut the connection.

He watched Jae and Yunho exchange kisses and looks, and then laugh when Changmin tossed out a sarcastic remark. Yoochun could leave. Now. Not come back. They wouldn’t be in danger if he wasn’t around.

The thought of leaving Junsu made his heart ache.

With one more deep breath, Yoochun let himself be seen and opened the balcony door. All three in the living room flipped around and stared at him.

Yoochun averted his gaze. He took two steps to the hall and then felt Junsu coming.

Junsu stopped just inside the living room and crossed his arms, eyes narrowed. “Well?” he demanded.

Yoochun rubbed the back of his neck. “What—”

“How the fuck are you not vampire barbecue right now?” Junsu said, almost shouted.

Yoochun went to the kitchen, the four of them following. He took a long drink of water and then another one. Running all day had depleted his strength. He’d need more blood soon, too.

“Sit. Please.” Yoochun followed his own command and the others settled into chairs.

“Well, when I abandoned my clan, I … well, I don’t remember too much, I was in a bit of a panic for a few days, but I managed to give Lexy a lot of my abilities. Well, last night, I took them back, before she died, and, yeah. They’re a bit stronger than I thought and now …”

He trailed off.

“Anyone else know about this?” Yunho asked.

“Jun.”

“Fuck.”

“I know.”

“So how powerful are you?” Changmin asked.

Yoochun shrugged. “I don’t know, and that scares me.”

“Experiment?” Jae asked.

Yoochun grinned. “You want to throw light at me?”

“Maybe.”

“Go for it.”

Jae held out his hand. Light gathered and then gathered until Changmin and Yunho had to wince away at the brightness of it. Yoochun leaned away from it, wincing also, but not in pain. A tiny bit of light zapped at him.

It stung, like a bee sting, but then it was gone.

“Holy shit,” Jae said and the light dropped.

“So now what?” Yunho asked.

“You guys will be in danger,” Yoochun said.

“Why?”

“Because Jun knows. And he’s either going to find a way to kill me or take my power from me. He also knows that I’m a compassionate vampire and the minute he takes one of you, I’ll give it up to him.”

“You think he will?” Yunho asked.

“I know he will.”

“But I thought you were friends,” Jae said with a frown.

“We are when we’re doing something that benefits us both, but Jun is a selfish vampire. He always has been. And Yamapi and I may be friends but the loyalty between the Japanese Demons is unquestionable. He’d take Jun’s side.”

“And if you get rid of Jun, you have the rest of them to contend with.”

Yoochun nodded and then his eyes unfocused as Jun demanded, _What the fuck do you want? in his head._

“Excuse me a moment,” Yoochun said out loud. _What’s up?_

_This is bullshit. I am not going to be at your beck and call._

_I don’t want you at my beck and call._

Silence. _What do you want then?_

_I want you leave me alone. I want you to leave my friends alone. And I want you to pretend that this never happened._

_I can’t do that._

_Which part?_

_The last part._

Yoochun sighed. _Which implies the other two as well. You know I don’t want this._

_Then give it to me._

_No._

_Why not?_

Yoochun scoffed, and felt Jun’s reluctant smirk on the other side. _I want something from you, Jun. Something to secure me, my friends, our lives, our fans, our career … I want you to leave me alone._

_And if I don’t?_

Yoochun grabbed control of his mind. _Touch Yamapi. Now._

Jun growled in his head, but his hand reached out and slid over Yamapi’s bare back. And Yoochun had a sudden clear picture of them. Jun leaning back against the head board, Yamapi curled into this body. He felt Yamapi breathe. Could practically smell the come drying on their bodies.

 _Do you have any idea how easy it would be for me to have you kill Yamapi right now? He’s so vulnerable, so incredibly sated that it wouldn’t be difficult and he would barely struggle. What about Shige, or Ryo? Where are they, together or with one of your girls?_  
  
Jun started fighting him.

Yoochun tightened his hold. _I’m using less than half of my control on you right now, Jun. You know me. You know I would never harm your friends or your family or try to take anything away from you. I want the same in return. Don’t force my hand, Jun. Please._

Yoochun released him, and Yoochun felt him take a physical breath. Like hearing someone in the background during a phone call, he heard Yamapi ask Jun if he was alright.

 _I heard him_ , Yoochun said.

Surprise shot through Jun, and then he asked, _Why should I do what you say when you just said that you wouldn’t hurt anyone? And I do know you. You wouldn’t make me kill Yamapi or any of them._

_You’re right. I wouldn’t. Would you? Eighty years ago when I left, what would you have done if Yamapi had come with me? You know and I know that he almost did._

Jun said nothing, but Yoochun could feel him no matter how hard he tried to conceal it. It would have broken his heart and he would have gone out for revenge.

 _Yamapi knows you. And I’m pretty sure that’s why he stayed. Oh, and the fact that I think if he were more than ten feet from you for a long period of time, he’d go insane without you. Look, Jun, I make a promise, I keep it. I promise you, promise you, that I won’t do anything stupid like trying to take over your clan or make my own._ He let Jun feel his love for Junsu, let him really feel it. I have what I need and what I want. Make me the same promise.

Jun was reluctant. Being alive for so long automatically made him wary and distrustful of anyone but those closest to them. Well, anyone but Yamapi.

 _Fine_ , Jun snapped. _You have my word._

_And the others?_

_What?_

_The others._

_Yeah, yeah. No one under my power will ever attack you or your … family … in anyway shape or form._

_And?_

_And what?_

_You won’t conspire with any other vampire, or any other creature, or any other human, you won’t tell any other vampire, creature or human about this in an attempt for them to get them to destroy me._

_No, I won’t._

_Okay. Did I miss anything? Any underhanded tricks or loopholes?_

_Not that I can see._

_Good. Go back your lover. He’s ready for another round._

Yoochun cut the connection and smiled around the table. “Jun has promised to leave me and us alone.”

“You trust him now?” Changmin asked.

Yoochun shrugged. “Yeah. Until he tries something, but I think I’ve threatened him enough that he won’t.”

“So,” Jae said with a grin. “Tomorrow? Can we please, please get back to recording?”

They laughed.

“Yes,” Yunho said. “We will definitely go to the studio tomorrow.”

“We still have to go before dawn,” Yoochun said. “No one can know about this.”

“We’ve already agreed to keep it quiet,” Yunho said.

Yoochun nodded. “Thanks.” He reached for Junsu’s hand and the elf let him take it, even if he still seemed pissed off. “I don’t want to have to leave you guys.”

Everything was quiet and then Junsu tugged on his hand. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Of course.”

They stood up and left the others in the kitchen. Yoochun entered the bedroom first. He sat on the bed. Junsu stayed at the door, leaning against it after he closed it.

_You cut me out earlier._

Yoochun didn’t replay.

_It scared me, baby._

Yoochun held his arms out and Junsu walked over. Yoochun hugged his middle, face pressed into his stomach.

 _I’m scared_ , Yoochun whispered. _This is terrifying._

Junsu sighed. _You still want me?_

_You’re the only reason I’m still here._

Junsu leaned away and then tugged on Yoochun’s shirt. He lifted his arms and let Junsu pull it over. With hands on his shoulders, Junsu pushed Yoochun to the bed. He crawled over him, knees straddling hips.

“That was a very good answer,” Junsu said and kissed him. Yoochun wrapped his arms up and under Junsu’s t-shirt.

“Do you like this shirt?” Yoochun asked, bunching it into his fingers.

Junsu smirked. “It’s Jaejoong’s.”

Yoochun tore the shirt, his smile growing at the satisfying sound of cloth ripping.

“You touch these jeans though and I’ll hurt you,” Junsu said, and started unbuttoning the many buttons on his jeans. “You still owe me for the first pair you tore off.”

“And the second and third?”

Junsu shrugged. “Jaejoong’s and the other I didn’t care about which is why I wore them before seducing you.”

“Jae’s going to start noticing he’s missing clothes,” Yoochun muttered, eyes locked on the slow revelation of Junsu’s naked body.

“Maybe.” Junsu pushed his pants down enough to free his cock. “Now come over here and do what vampires do best and suck on me.”

“Su, I—”

“You have more control, right?” Jusnu said with a smirk. “I’m going to assume that means your fangs won’t extend when you’re horny. They haven’t yet and I’m jerking myself off in front of you.”

Yoochun ran an experimental tongue over his teeth. Nope. No fangs. Not even the urge to and yet his cock was hard. With a swift movement, he tossed Junsu over his head. Mindful of the jeans, he tugged them off and then started kissing up Junsu’s leg. Junsu’s hand stroked faster. Yoochun stopped between Junsu’s spread legs, hands on either side of his hips. He watched, unconsciously licking his lips.

“Well,” Yoochun muttered and took Junsu’s cock in his hand, “I’ve never done this without fangs, so you’ll excuse me if I’m a bit rusty.”

Junsu’s laugh turned to a groan when Yoochun touched his tongue to the tip of his cock.

“As long as you—oh, fuck, Chunnie—show more enthusiasm for it—oh my god—than elves do.”

Yoochun scoffed. “Trust me, baby. I’m better than an elf any day.”

Junsu smiled around his gasping breath.

Yoochun covered Junsu’s cock with his mouth, sliding his tongue down the side and around the base. He remembered this being a lot more difficult. Then again, the last time he had done this he had to breathe, too. Ah, the perks of being a vampire.

He tortured Junsu’s cock with his teeth and tongue and throat, pushing him deep and then shallow, tongue pressing in the soft crown and then teeth nibbling down the side.

“Oh, fuck, Yoochun. More, faster, please.”

Yoochun pressed a kiss to the soft flesh at the top. “Planning on giving me something besides blood to swallow, Su?”

Junsu groaned. “So cheesy, so hot, fucking suck me.”

Yoochun chuckled. He gave up teasing and sucked Junsu hard, long and over and over until Junsu’s hands clasped into his hair and his body arched and his mouth opened in a scream.

Yoochun slowed and Junsu whimpered, body thrashing.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Yoochun asked. On the next pass down Junsu’s cock, Yoochun extended his fangs, not a lot but enough for Junsu to feel them scrape on his skin.

“Oh, god,” Junsu cried.

Yoochun pressed his cock clear down his throat. With a minor adjustment, a single fang pierced his skin.

With a feral cry, Junsu came in violent jerks.

Yoochun swallowed come and blood. When he pulled away from his cock, Junsu whimpered. It immediately turned into a groan as Yoochun slid his fangs under the skin at his hip. He took a few swallows and then licked skin, leaving a bloody trail up to Junsu’s nipple. He bit him again, mouth closing around his nipple. Junsu cried out, body too weak to do more than thrash his head.

Yoochun growled and then pulled away long enough to reach for the lube in a drawer.

Blood pooled around Junsu’s nipple. Yoochun licked it up and pressed two fingers into Junsu at the same time.

“Oh, fuck,” Junsu groaned and arched up, pushing the fingers deeper.

“Already?” Yoochun said, and with hands on his hips, flipped Junsu over. Almost in the same movement, his cock was pressed against Junsu’s hole and he forced himself in. Junsu screamed, head falling, hands outstretched, fingers clawing at the blankets. The second press had their skin together and Junsu’s whines dropping to lower octaves.

Yoochun sped up. God it was like earlier when he was running, forcing himself faster, and knowing that he could go faster if he wanted too.

But he was mindful of the elf beneath him. Very mindful of the mewls of pain, pleasure and need escaping his lips. The curve of his back, the arch of his neck and the delectable burst of pleasure when Junsu pushed back, meeting his thrusts.

Junsu was in heaven. Pain, too, but pleasure wove in and through and around his body. It set his magic tingling and without really thinking about it, little tuffs of grass sprouted on the blanket under his fingers.

Yoochun grabbed his hips and nails dug into his skin. Junsu cried out and pushed up to his hands, back bowing and head bent back. Fingers wrapped around his neck, and forced him back down.

“I like you better like that,” Yoochun said, voice growling.

Junsu moaned and rested his head on his arm. His breath came in pants, sweat soaked his skin, his legs and thighs and ass quivered.

“Faster,” he whispered, “please.” His cock was so hard it hurt.

Yoochun grunted, but sped up just a tiny bit. It was enough to make Junsu’s eyes fly open and tear a scream from his throat. He settled into grunted breathing, incoherent mutters, eyes clenching shut and falling open. Unable to hold himself up, he went slack, head turning.

Yoochun followed him down, hands hitting the mattress by his head. He licked up the side of Junsu’s neck. But the angle sucked, so he pushed back up, grabbed Junsu’s hips and lifted them just a bit off the bed.

“Oh, god,” Junsu breathed.

“You keep calling me that,” Yoochun whispered with a laugh.

Junsu’s eyes shut, hands grabbing at the blankets again as more pleasure than he knew what to do with coursed through his body. Everything was spiraling out of control. His magic was ricocheting around him, looking for a way out, zinging across the room to throw a flower or piece of fruit at the wall. He followed one trajectory with his eyes until the peony slammed against the mirror.

God, the mirror.

Yoochun was invisible, but he could see the finger imprints on his ass as Yoochun spread him open. His hole was red, spread wide and pulsing with every withdraw of Yoochun’s cock. His legs shook. His body sparkled with sweat and splashes of his own blood.

“You look good in that mirror,” Yoochun whispered.

He wrapped a hand in Junsu’s hair and pulled his body up. Junsu cried out, hands reaching behind him to settle on Yoochun’s hips. Yoochun twisted his hand, baring Junsu’s neck to him. After a single lick along the tendon, Yoochun bit him. Junsu moaned and went slack. Yoochun’s other hand wrapped around Junsu’s cock. The strokes were fast compared to the slow suction on his neck.

Junsu whimpered, forced his body to move, forced his hips forward and back, riding Yoochun’s cock while bits of pain warred with pleasure again, spinning and weaving. He felt himself grow faint, and yet, the pressure around his cock increased. Everything increased, everything focused and then everything shattered.

Junsu’s release arched over the bed landing in splatters on the blankets covered in grass.

And then he went limp.

Yoochun held Junsu close, both arms wrapping around him. He took another swallow of blood and let his body go. The orgasm was intense, built up control and pressure leaving him all at once. An exhale of breath let him know that he squeezed Junsu just a bit too hard. He let up a bit, and then turned their bodies and lowered them to the bed. He didn’t leave Junsu’s body, sliding in and out slowly.

_I love you, Junsu._

Even Junsu’s mental stores were exhausted, so despite his inability to reply, Yoochun felt the love flow from him. Yoochun snuggled into him, burying his face at Junsu’s neck. He licked up the few drops of blood and then followed Junsu into sleep.

~}|{~

Yunho sighed at the first sound of pleasure.

Jae smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “Should I keep dinner warm for them?”

Yunho nodded. “Yeah.”

“What would you do if I suddenly had amazing powers?” Jae asked.

Yunho grinned. “Like what? You’re already more beautiful than any other faerie and your looks alone are enough to get me to succumb to all of your whims.”

Jae rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

Yunho pinned him to the counter and kissed him. “I mean it. You’re gorgeous. Let me worship you.” He fluttered lips down Jaejoong’s neck, and Jae’s eyes closed.

Changmin groaned. “Ah, hyung. Let him cook me dinner first.”

~}|{~

The next morning, Yunho walked into the vampire’s room and then stopped in his tracks.

“Holy shit,” he whispered.

There were flowers everywhere. Small trees grew from little patches of earth. A larger, weeping willow tree curved over the bed, its branches and leaves cocooning the two occupants.

Yoochun stirred first, looking over his shoulder and through leaves at Yunho’s shocked face. Yoochun smirked. “Junsu may have lost control a bit.”

Yunho scoffed. “No kidding. Anyway, it’s time to get up. We have to leave in an hour.”

Yoochun nodded.

He watched Junsu sleep for another few minutes. God, the elf was beautiful. He caressed Junsu’s cheek with the back of his hand. Junsu stirred. A tingle of magic shot through Yoochun and made him gasp.

“Sorry, baby,” Junsu muttered.

Yoochun jerked upright, hitting his head on a tree branch, as a flicker of warning burst through his mind.

_Stop. Stop right this instant._

The vampire on the other end of the mental link was so surprised that he dropped the human girl and staggered back.

_Yoochun?_

_What the fuck are you doing?_

Fear clouded the other’s mind. Yoochun pushed through it, ignoring the surprise that Eunhyuk was alive. Why the hell was Eunhyuk alive? There were flashes of his life over twenty years, Lexy whispering promises to him, hiding him and a few others with orders to turn as many humans as they could. There was a warehouse in his memories, one used for meetings and other things Yoochun didn’t want to think about.

_Go there. Go there and don’t leave and wait for me._

_Yes, sir._

Yoochun took a deep breath and then flung his mind out, searching for clan members. Some were new. Some were supposed to be dead. He ordered them all to go to the same place. In total, he sent nine messages.

He groaned, put his face in his hands and cursed long and hard.

Junsu touched his shoulder. “Baby?”

Yoochun leaned into him. “I have nine clan members.”

“What?”

“Nine. There are nine of them.”

“How—”

“I don’t know. Four of them are new.”

“Wow. Now what happens?”

“I go to the studio and try to forget for a little while, and then I go deal with it tonight.” Yoochun kissed Junsu’s cheek. “Come on. We have to go shower.”

Junsu sat up and shut his eyes with a sigh.

“Are you okay?”

Junsu smiled without opening his eyes. “Fabulous. Just doing a systems check. I’ve never lost control like that.”

Yoochun laughed. “I loved it.”

One eye opened. “So did I.”

Yoochun laughed again and threw himself at Junsu. They fell back to the bed and lips met, but then Junsu winced and pulled a wicked looking flower from underneath him.

“Thistle,” he explained, and then banished it with a flick of fingers. He went around the room, erasing the evidence of their night.

Yoochun stilled his hand. “Keep this tree. I like it.”

Junsu smiled. “Okay. But I need to move it.” Junsu moved the tree to the foot of the bed and then gave it a bit more energy to grow. The long branches draped over the bed.

“Perfect,” Yoochun said.

~}|{~  
  
After re-recording a few troublesome spots of “Better than You” and dancing most of the afternoon, a manager handed them an updated schedule for the following week.

Yunho sighed. “We need more sleep,” he muttered and handed it to Jaejoong.

It showed them getting to the studio at five before dawn and not leaving until ten or eleven at night.

“No kidding,” Yoochun said. “I’ve had some bad nights before but I think I’ve gotten three, maybe four hours of sleep a night the last two weeks.”

“Being unconscious not included,” Changmin said.

The manager cleared his throat. “I know you guys have had some issues that were out of your control, but Lee SooMan wants you to have a mini album ready to release in two weeks. And right now, we only have two songs.”

“I’ll bring more with me tomorrow for your approval,” Yoochun said.

The manager nodded. “You’re shooting the video tomorrow night. I know it’s not on your schedule, but we were supposed to shoot it yesterday.”

“So we have to do all of this and then shoot the video?” Yunho said.

“It’s the only time we can. Otherwise, everything is going to be delayed, and we do not want delays.”

Yunho nodded. “Okay.”

“Good, now there are a few more costumes that need to be tried on and then tailored for tomorrow night. They’re in your training room.”

The manager turned and left. The others turned to the dressing room, but Yoochun held Yunho back a bit.

“I have a problem,” Yoochun whispered.

“Another one?” Yunho said, voice rising.

Yoochun smiled. “Yeah. Turns out that Lexy did have a clan, and I now have nine clan members.”

“Fuck.”

“Trust me, I know. I have them sequestered in a warehouse down by the river. I need to go take care of them tonight. And tomorrow night and the next night and …”

“Fuck Yoochun.”

“I know.”

“What about giving them to Jun?”

“I’d have to do a power transfer and I am not giving Jun this much power. I’ll think of something, but I thought I’d let you know that I’m going to disappear again tonight.”

“You need to rest.”

“Trust me. I know.”

Yunho frowned. “What does taking care of a clan entail?”

Yoochun shook his head. “Some of these vampires have been under Lexy’s control for twenty years. Tonight is more about gaining their loyalty than anything.”

“Can they turn on you?”

Yoochun smirked. “Maybe before I had pure power running through me.”


	28. I'm tired of your vampire shit.

After their schedule, Yoochun took Junsu’s hand. “I have to go,” he said to the group

Jae rolled his eyes. “I’m tired of your vampire shit.”

“Trust me, so am I.”

“I’m going to go shower,” Yunho said.

“I’m hungry,” Changmin said.

Yunho pulled out his wallet and handed him some money. “Go raid the vending machine, and then I’m sure Jaejoong will cook you dinner later.”

Jae smiled. “I’ll cook us all dinner if we ever manage to get home.”  
  
“Okay, so I’m going to walk with Yoochun down to the lobby. Meet back right here in … what ten minutes?”

They all nodded.

“I’ll see you guys before dawn,” Yoochun said, and he and Junsu walked away.

Yunho kissed Jae’s lips. “Try not to become even more beautiful while I'm gone,” he whispered and meandered down the hall.

Changmin went the other way.

Jae fell against the wall. He pulled out his iPhone, popped in his earbuds and listened to his stash of The Werewolves music. He’d never listened to them before—he was a faerie, why would he?—but the other morning before Yunho had woken up, Jae downloaded them all. They weren’t that bad, and he loved watching Yunho dance.

He wasn’t really paying attention to anything, but the sudden presence of half-concealed light on his skin jerked him alert.

Heechul was a few hundred feet from him, smirking.

Jae ripped out the earbuds. “What do you want?”

“You,” Heechul said and stalked forward.

Jae rolled his eyes. “No thanks.”

Heechul’s smirk widened. “You’re saying no to sex with me, or are you just playing hard to get?”

“I’m saying no. Leave me alone.”

“Where’s your werewolf slut?”

Jae wasn’t sure if Heechul was calling Yunho a slut or him, but he didn’t care. His eyes narrowed. “If you’re only here to insult me or my friends, then save it. You’re a bastard, Heechul.”

Heechul laughed as he put his hands on either side of Jaejoong’s head and pinned him to the wall with his body.

Jae made a face. “You realize that now that you’ve touched them, I’m going to have to burn these clothes.”

Heechul tsked and shook his head. “What happened to you, Jaejoong? Why is the second prettiest flower in Korea wilting?”

“How is it possible for someone to be so arrogant?” Jae asked, letting pity drip in his voice.

“I deserve it. Just like you deserve it. You’re better than these friends of yours, and you know it.”

“I’m better than you.” Jae almost sang the line, but it made him smile. It was all so stupid.

Heechul kissed Jaejoong’s cheek.

Jae pushed him away by his shoulders. “Stop it. Now.”

“Oh, come on, you’ve been bugging me for years to fuck you. Well, I will. For you. To help you get over this ‘friends with other creatures’ bullshit.”

“It’s worse than that,” Jae said, leaning close enough that their lips almost touched. “The werewolf is fucking me.”

Heechul made a face and jerked away from Jae.

Jae laughed.

“You let … you’ve fallen further than we all thought.”

“The best part,” Jae said, with a grin, “is that you just touched me. And kissed my cheek where not five minutes ago, he kissed me.”

Heechul shivered. “You-“

Jae saw Heechul fingers move, but had no time to dodge or block the power. The nerves in his wings sizzled and he screamed. He fell to the floor. Jae gasped, vision blurry. He set Heechul’s pants on fire, but Heechul laughed and doused it. Jae threw up a barrier around him, weak, but still a barrier, as Heechul threw more spells at him and bits of blue lightning. Jae had to let some of them hit to keep his wings from another attack.

“Honestly, Jaejoong. If you’re not going to act like the faerie you are, then what’s the point of you being here?”

“Fuck off,” Jae said, through clenched teeth. “You can do whatever you want to me, Heechul, but that still doesn’t change the fact that your arrogance is your crutch. You’re not as pretty as you think you are, and that green shirt looks absolutely awful on you.”

Heechul snarled and threw his hands forward.

Jae heard someone call his name and then everything went black.

“Jaejoong! Jae!” Yunho pushed by the other faerie, slamming him into a wall, and fell to his knees. He pulled Jae’s body to his. “Jae! Jae!” He slapped Jae’s cheeks, trying to get a response. He checked to make sure Jae was breathing and then held his unresponsive body close. “What the fuck did you do to him, bastard?”

Heechul smirked. “What he deserved.” He turned around and walked away.

Yunho wanted to go after him, but he would not leave Jaejoong alone. God, Jaejoong. Yunho kissed his forehead.

“What the fuck?” Junsu said.

“Heechul, fucking … Fuck!”

“Oh my god.” Junsu ran down the hall. He fell to his knees and checked Jae’s breathing. The very edges of Jae’s wings were burning, smoldering red.

“We have to get him in the sun,” Junsu said. “He needs energy.”

“Dark outside, Su,” Yunho whimpered.

“What’s going on?” Changmin asked.

“Heechul attacked Jaejoong,” Junsu said.

“Fuck.”

Yunho took Jaejoong’s phone. He scrolled through the contacts until he found Ueda’s name, and he pressed call.

“Jae, baby!”

“This is Yunho. We … fuck, Heechul did something to Jae and he’s not conscious.”

“Woah. Calm down. Is he breathing?”

“Yes. Junsu says he needs sunlight.”

“Fuck, that bad?”

“Yeah, I guess, I don’t know, he’s … he won’t wake up and he’s …”

Someone took the phone from his hands, and then another voice was talking.

“Jae, please. Jae.” Yunho held him tightly.

Changmin kneeled next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “He’s not dead, hyung. He’ll be alright.”

Junsu ended the call. “Okay. Ueda is going to meet us at our place. Let’s go.”

Yunho picked Jae up and carried him down the hall.

v-v

Yoochun approached the warehouse cautiously. He sniffed the air and made sure the only vampires he could sense were his own.

 _His._ He hated that.

He made sure the power blocks were on the rest of them and then slowly lowered a bit of Eunhyuk’s so the other could open the door for him.

But again Yoochun waited, in the shadows. After another ten minutes, he decided he was being paranoid and he went into the warehouse.

“Yoochun!”

Yoochun immediately braced himself, but felt no animosity as Eunhyuk was suddenly wrapped around him, face buried in his neck. He was shaking.

“God, please please please tell me you’re our clan leader again, please. God, please.”

Yoochun chuckled. “Yeah. I am.”

“Thank god! Lexy was a crazy bitch.”

Yoochun sighed. He pushed Eunhyuk away. “God, I thought you were dead.”

Eunhyuk nodded.

There were whimpers from the other vampires in the room, and Yoochun tightened his hold on them. Three of them were starving. Their heartbeats were so fast, and they were panting.

Fuck.

Yoochun sighed and sent a mental link to Junsu. Junsu’s brain was chaotic with worry. How had Yoochun not felt that?

_What’s wrong?_

_Heechul attacked Jaejoong._

_Fuck. Is he okay?_

_No. Ueda is coming over though. God, what about you? You’re freaking out._

_I have three vampires about to die on me. Can I share your blood?_

_Yes. Thanks for asking._

_Let me know if anything else happens. I didn’t realize I had myself blocked off again. I need to harness this power._

_Yeah, you’ll get it. I love you._

_I love you._

“How much blood do you have?” Yoochun asked Eunhyuk.

He shrugged. “Some.”

Yoochun held his wrist up. “Take more. Help me feed them.”

Eunhyuk looked confused for only a moment and then sank his fangs into Yoochun’s wrist.

Fuck. Three of the male vampires were less than two months old. Another female was barely over a year. Two other females had been newbies when Yoochun had been chased from the clan, and the other two males were like Eunhyuk. Not old, and not strong, but old enough to control themselves.

Yoochun pulled his wrist away.

“Holy shit, Yoochun, how do you have elf blood?” Eunhyuk’s eyes were shut in bliss.

“My lover. Come on. You take those two.”

Eunhyuk looked scared.

Yoochun slapped his shoulder. “I have them under tight control, Eunhyuk. Trust me. If I hadn’t they’d already ripped us to pieces.”

Eunhyuk nodded and moved to a girl and a guy. He gave the girl a soft smile. Yoochun held his wrists against the lips of two guys. They only felt like they were a few days old. Yoochun jumped into their minds. The one on his left was named Kibum. The one on his right barely looked eighteen. His name was Minho. Both were terrified. Yoochun sent calming waves at them, mentally introduced himself and then showed them how to contact him if they needed him. By the time Minho dropped from his wrist, breath gasping, Yoochun had delved into and learned all about both their families. Kibum reluctantly pulled away.

The boy Eunhyuk had been feeding crawled to the other two and they curled up together. Jonghyun was his name.

“They’re so young,” Yoochun muttered.

Eunhyuk nodded.

“This is ridiculous. What the fuck?”

Eunhyuk winced. “Well. We were ordered to turn ‘em all rogue, but that bitch kept killing everyone and well, we’re not very good at turning humans, I mean, shit, Yoochun, I’m only thirty-five, so some of them became vamps, and—“

Yoochun waved him silent. He turned his attention to the girl.

“This is Cerinity,” Eunhyuk said. “She was my first mistake.”

She slapped Eunhyuk’s shoulder. “Stop introducing me as that,” she said with a grin.

And Yoochun added in his head that they were a couple.

“How old are you?” Yoochun asked. “Vampire age, I mean.”

“Fourteen months,” she said.

“Great.”

Yoochun turned to the two others who had been loyal to him at one point in time. He released the hold on their minds and they took a collective breath.

“What the hell, Yoochun?” Sungmin asked, rubbing his head. Sungmin was only a few years older than Eunhyuk, and the other—Kibum—was a few years younger.

“Shut up,” Kibum said, quiet. “You’d have done the same if you weren’t sure of loyalties.”

“True.”

“So?” Yoochun asked, arms crossed.

Kibum shrugged. “Ding dong, the bitch is dead.”

Yoochun laughed. He stepped closer and pulled each into a hug.

He turned to the remaining vampires, two girls. Soonli and Yuri. Both had been friends with Lexy and Tsuki.

“Well,” he demanded. “Any reason why I shouldn’t kill you both?”

Soonli winced.

Yuri shrugged. “None that matter,” she said. “We followed her willingly, but like Eunhyuk said, she went crazy.”

“I want all of you to understand that I have no fucking desire to be here right now.”

Kibum scoffed. “Comforting.”

“I don’t. I never wanted to be a clan leader. Right now, time is strapped, and I’m incredibly stressed out and pissed off. I’m part of a singing group about a week away from debuting. Three nights ago I was almost dinner for all those fabulous rogues you guys turned, and two nights ago, I watched Yamapi take Lexy’s head off with his katana.”

“Shit,” Sungmin said.

“Fuck,” Yoochun said. “I seriously have no options but to kill you all.”

“What?” Eunhyuk said in disbelief.

Yoochun looked down and sighed. “It’s hard enough to take care of one newbie and I have four of them.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m going to have to register you guys.”

“Fuck, what? Why?” Sungmin demanded. Being registered meant less freedom, more persecution, and less of a chance to get work. But it also meant the blood lady came by with jars of animal blood every week.

“If I don’t, how are you going to get enough blood for these four, huh? I don’t have time for this.”

Yoochun through briefly of contacting Jun but knew better. He was already indebted to Jun, and Jun would want a power transfer. But he wanted to keep his clan a secret, but he had no way of doing that and keeping them alive. He was going to have to register them. Yoochun scoffed. He looked over at the new kids, still staring at him in awe, and then at the others. “Two Kibums?”

“We call the kid Key,” Kibum said. “Still confusing, but only less so.”

Yoochun nodded. “Who is this building registered to?” Yoochun asked.

Eunhyuk shrugged. “I don’t know. I figured it was Lexy’s.”

“No. It’s just listed as abandoned,” Yoochun said.

He needed help, but he had no idea who else could do it, besides Jun. He’d been out of vampire circles for too long.

He pulled out his phone, and reluctantly dialed a number.

“Yoochun?”

“Hey, Dani. Rhetorical question.”

“Liar. Okay.”

“Can you transfer clan members without doing a full power transfer?”

“Why? Did Lexy have clan members?”

“It’s rhetorical, Daniela. Just answer the question.”

“Yes. But only the Counsel can do it.”

“Fuck.”

“I want to see you. Are you busy?”

“Yes. What’s up?”

“Not over the phone, but you may have more rhetorical questions once I talk to you.”

“Can you meet me on the roof of my building an hour before dawn?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then.”

“See you.”

Yoochun hung up.

Eunhyuk grinned. “It’s so cool that you can just call the Matriarch like that.”

Yoochun waved a hand at him and then he sighed. “This is a huge fucking mess. Are there beds here? Anything other than this empty space?”

“No.”

Yoochun nodded. “Alright. In that case.” He sent them all visual directions to his estate. He never thought he’d need the place, but Yamapi was right. Keep it. Just in case.

“Cool,” Sungmin said.

“All of you go. Now. Even with the newbies, you should be there before dawn. If not, well, then I don’t have to worry about you anymore.”

“Funny,” Eunhyuk said.

“You three, be Lieutenants for me. I’ll be there sometime tomorrow night to feed the newbies again. There is a freezer in the basement full of frozen blood. It’s been there for about fifty years, but it will work. Give them a couple of blocks when you get there, just to keep them sated.”

Eunhyuk, Sungmin and Kibum nodded.

He turned to the two girls. “I’ve put behavioral commands into your heads. I still don’t trust you, but I’m not going to kill you unless you make me. I don’t want to register you, but if I have to, I will. Don’t trash my place. This isn’t a vacation. Let’s go. I need to get home and sleep for at least a little while.”


	29. Heechul really did a number on him

Yunho held Jae’s body close. The faerie was breathing, but each breath came as a rattle. His skin had gone cold. So very cold, and yet the edges of his wings continued to smolder, like dying charcoal. Junsu kept a hand on his arm, sending him bursts of energy. Changmin had his arm around Yunho’s shoulders, and when Yunho couldn’t look at Jae anymore, he shut his eyes and leaned against the young zombie.

“Come on, Yunho,” Junsu said. “We’re here.”

Yunho very carefully carried Jae across the courtyard. A few reporters asked some question.

Changmin said, “He’s just sleeping. We’ve been working hard for our debut.”

And then they were inside and at the elevator.

Ueda and Athena, Hongki and his human, Tegoshi and another faerie, who was introduced as Taemin, were in the hallway waiting for them.

“I am so glad you guys are here,” Yunho said.

Ueda nodded. “Now that I see him, I’m glad you called me. He needs light, fast.”

“Fuck,” Taemin said.

Ueda shot him a look.

“What? I didn’t know Heechul was going to do this to him!”

“Inside, people,” Junsu said and opened the door.

“We don’t really have time to explain right now,” Ueda said, as they entered the apartment, “set him on the floor, clear a space, move your furniture. I don’t want to catch anything on fire.”

Yunho sat Jae down as Changmin and Junsu and the other faeries cleared the room.

“Good thing your vampire isn’t here,” Ueda said.

He held his hands above Jae and then after a moment, Jae floated off the ground a few inches. Hongki did the same, making Jae float higher. One by one, light streamed from their hands and wrapped around Jaejoong. Jae’s body jerked violently, and all the light was gone.

“Good shit,” Hongki said, “Heechul really did a number on him.”

“Quiet,” Ueda said. And they tried again, sending light around Jae’s body. One more time all the light disappeared, and then little sparks of flame burst from Jae’s wings.

“Fuck,” Ueda snapped. “Taemin, come on, more. He’s—”

“I know, I know.”

Ueda met Junsu’s eyes. “I need some wind.”

“Where?”

“Around him. In circles. He’s rejecting the light and we need it spinning to get him to take it.”

“Alright.” Junsu held up his hands and wind whipped around all of them, erratically, and then spiraling around Jaejoong. The smoldering on his wings flared and then the light around him twisted, a whirlwind, spinning faster until it cocooned Jaejoong’s body.

Junsu had no idea if it was working or not, but the light did not disappear.

“Thank god,” Tegoshi said after a few minutes.

Very, very slowly, the light streams were sucked into Jae’s body.

“Okay, Junsu, thanks,” Ueda said. “Pull it back easy, not all at once, or he’ll fall. You got him, Hongki?”

“Yeah.”

The light faded as Junsu slowly cut off the wind.

Jae was settled on the floor, on his front. They could all see his back rise and fall in deep breaths. The edges of his wings were black.

Yunho whimpered.

“You can go to him,” Ueda said, “but try not to touch his wings. He’s still unconscious, but those are going to be sore for days.”

Yunho fell to his knees and softly touched Jae’s face. It was no longer drawn and empty, and it looked more like he was sleeping.

“Let’s get him to bed, guys,” Ueda said. “He should wake up in an hour or so. And he’s going to be incredibly thirsty. I’m going to lighten some water for him.”

“Lighten?” Changmin said.

Ueda nodded. “Add light to it. It’s hard to explain, but think of it as when you add hot chocolate to water, and mix it up. I can do the same with light.”

As soon as Jae was settled on his stomach in his and Yunho’s bed, the creatures gathered into the front room and straightened everything back up.

“What did Heechul do to him?” Changmin asked once they were all sitting. He was in one arm chair. Junsu was in another. The faeries filled the couch, with Athena and Kei on the floor, leaning back against their faeries knees. Yunho couldn’t sit. He paced around the living room.

Ueda sighed. “A faerie’s wings are the most vulnerable part of the body. They are how we absorb light and energy.”

“Like how a plant does?” Junsu asked.

Ueda nodded. “But Heechul threw so much light and energy at them that they couldn’t absorb it all and it ended up burning him. And then, if that wasn’t bad enough, he tried to force all of that light out of him at once.”

“What?” Yunho shouted.

Changmin set a hand on his shoulder. “Jae … Jae did that once. To us, remember, Su, the other day in the elevator, he brought our light to the surface.”

“Oh, yeah. I remember that.”

“Heechul did the same thing,” Ueda said, “but he tried to pull it out. That’s why he went unconscious. No light. No energy. Heechul is very lucky he didn’t kill him. The amount of power he used would have killed a faerie like Taemin.”

“Fuck,” Junsu muttered.

Taemin shook his head. “I’m sorry, hyungs, but …”

“It’s not your fault, Taemin,” Hongki said.

He sniffled and buried his face in Tegoshi’s shoulder.

Seeing their confused looks, Ueda said, “About five minutes before you called, Taemin came to me and said that Heechul had a plan to get Jae to cooperate, but I was still talking to him when you called, and … yeah …”

“It’s not your fault,” Changmin told the young faerie. “It’s good that you warned Ueda, though.”

“Do you guys mind if we stay here tonight?” Ueda asked. “That really drained our energy.”

“No problem,” Yunho said. “Thank you so much.”

“Yes, thank you,” Changmin said. “He may be an arrogant bastard, but he’s still our friend.”

“Guess we’re having take out tonight,” Junsu said.

“I’ll pay for it,” Ueda continued. “You guys have enough to worry about.”

v-v

It was three hours before dawn when Yoochun finally slipped into the apartment. He didn’t want to wake anyone, but in the end, it hardly mattered. Most of them were awake. In the upper branches of the tree, Tegoshi was asleep with a young faerie. HongKei was up there too, but they weren’t asleep, whispering to each other, exchanging comforting kisses. Ueda and Athena were sitting in an arm chair. Changmin was in the kitchen. Junsu was lounging on the couch.

Junsu had contacted him not long before to tell him Jaejoong was unconscious, but okay. Junsu met him at the door, and kissed him deeply.

_How’s the clan?_

Yoochun sighed. _Sucky. I have four newbies, Su. Four of them. And three of those four are less than a week old._

_That’s bad, I take it._

_Yeah. A new vampire has to be fed every eight hours, preferably by his clan leader. But I cannot do that. Four vampires needing blood every eight hours is more than you can give me in a day and not die._

_So what are you going to do?_

Another sigh. _I have to talk to Daniela tonight. She says that the only people that can transfer members from clan-to-clan without a complete power transfer is the Counsel._

_The Counsel?_

_Pretty much the head of all vampires in Asia, India and Australia._

_Wow._

_Yeah, but if I go to them to switch clan members to Jun, then they’re going to find out how powerful I am, and fuck, Junsu, none of them can go in the sunlight without frying._

Junsu held him close.

“Yoochun!” Changmin said suddenly.

“Hey, Min.”

“How’s—“ And then Changmin remembered the others around him and cut off his question.

“Everything’s okay,” Yoochun said to cover. “Where’s Yunho?”

“Watching over Jaejoong.”

“How is he?”

“Alive.”

“He’ll recover,” Ueda said, “but he needs a day off, and then as soon as the sun rises, he needs to be out in it for a long time.”

Yoochun winced. “He’s going to hate that.”

“Why?”

“Have you seen how worried he is about his skin?”

Ueda smiled. “Ah, a suntan won’t kill him.”

Yoochun and Junsu scoffed.

“Easy for you to say,” Changmin said. “You’re not going to be around to hear him bitch about it.”

Ueda laughed. “Nope.”

 _I need you,_ Yoochun said, nuzzling Junsu’s neck.

Junsu shivered. “We’re … uh, yeah … Bye.”

The others laughed as Junsu grabbed Yoochun’s hand and dragged him into the bedroom. Yoochun stopped in his tracks and then laughed. “I totally forgot about the tree.”

Junsu shimmied out of his t-shirt and sweat pants. “So? It’s there. I’m here. Which do you want to look at?” He jumped on the bed and climbed under the branches.

Yoochun smiled, but kept his clothes on, as he followed Junsu.

Junsu frowned. “Why aren’t you naked?”

Yoochun laughed. “I said I needed you. Not that I needed to fuck you.”

“Well, then—“

Yoochun lay down and pulled Junsu into his arms. _Is it so wrong to just want to hold you for a little while?_

“No,” Junsu whispered and cuddled closer.

“And I need some sleep. I can’t sleep without you.”

“Okay.”

Yoochun sighed and tried to relax.

v-v

Yunho stared at Jaejoong for hours, counted the breaths he took, measuring each, making sure they were stronger than the one before. He now knew how Jaejoong must have felt when he shifted early. Yunho held his hand, and pressed kisses to his forehead and his palm.

Jae suddenly coughed. Hard, body shaking. Yunho watched him, scared. A bolt of light shot from Jae’s other hand, burning the headboard.

Yunho called for Ueda and ducked away from another stream.

Ueda ran in, took one look at him and cursed in Japanese. He immediately threw up a shield of air around Jae as more light flew from his fingers.

“Damn, Heechul.”

“What’s wrong?”

“He’s rejecting our light.”

“And that means –“

“That means only the bastard that took it can give it back.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. I have him stabilized. As long as that light weave stays around him, the light has no choice but to go back into him. It will keep him alive, but … shit. I have to go find Heechul. Call me if anything else happens. Especially if his wings start burning again. Okay?”

Yunho nodded.

Ueda flew off, shouting at Tegoshi in Japanese.

Yunho stared at Jae’s shuddering body. A tear dripped down his cheek. “I love you, Joongie. So fucking much. Please be okay.”

Strong arms wrapped around him, and he leaned into Changmin’s shoulder, unblinking eyes staring at Jae.

“I don’t want to do this anymore, Min,” Yunho said. “Debuting, being part of a group, it’s not worth this. Our motivation, dedication, hard work. Our sweat and tears and pride, yes, but not this. It’s not worth our lives.”

“I know, hyung.”

v-v

Yoochun sighed as another few minutes ticked by with no sign of Daniela. The sky wasn’t gray yet, but it was a lighter shade of darkness than it was when he got out there. Not that the rising sun scared him anymore, but he didn’t really need Daniela knowing that he could walk through sunlight without frying.

His mind moved to Jaejoong, and the mess he was in, and then wondered who would be next? Would the other zombies start hunting Changmin? Would the elves … … and then he realized he had no idea how other elves thought of Junsu. Junsu never talked about it, but so far no elf had tried to talk to him. Besides a few insults from the other elves at SM, no elf had made contact with him.

And then he felt her coming. It took two or three minutes before her presence settled behind him.

“Care to tell me why you register as a different vampire?” Daniela asked.

Yoochun turned around. “What?”

She shook her head. “You’re different. Your signature is different.”

“I took Lexy’s power.”

“Okay. You shouldn’t be different.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you.”

She frowned. “Chunnie, what’s wrong?”

“A lot of things, but Jaejoong, the faerie, was attacked today and he may not make it.”

“Oh, baby, I’m sorry.”

Yoochun sighed. “About this transfer, since the sun is coming up.”

“Still hypothetically?”

“Yes.”

“You can do it. Well, Miyavi can do it. But you need full cooperation from both parties, and if you give them something, they have to give you something, even if you don’t want it.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s still a power transfer, but if you give over clan members, the person who you give them to has to give you a power in return.”

Yoochun sighed. “Fuck.”

“Hypothetically, fuck, right?”

Yoochun nodded. “Yeah.”

“Yoochun …”

“I can’t tell you anything without you being required by the Counsel to report, so no, Danny. Sorry.”

“I have really bad news then.”

“What?”

“You’ve been called in front of the Counsel.”

Yoochun stared at her blankly.

“There was a power surge when you killed Lexy. And the fact that your vampire signature is different confirms that something went on. They need to talk to you.”

Yoochun put his face in his hands. “When?”

“They’ll be here tomorrow night.”

“Here, here? On my roof, here?”

“No. At the council chamber.”

“Fuck.”

“Sorry, Yoochun. Even I can feel the power running through you right now. I’m not surprised that Miyavi felt it.”

“And what do I do?”

“You meet with them. You’re your own leader, but I strongly suggest you have the Demons at your back. The Counsel has a soft spot for them.”

“Will you be there?”

“If I am allowed, yes.”

Silence stretched, and the sky turned gray.

“How many clan members do you have?” she asked.

“Hypothetically?”

She laughed. “Sure.”

“Nine. With three babies and one less than two years old. The oldest of them is thirty-eight.”

“How old are the babies?”

“Not even two weeks.”

“Now that sucks.”

“Yeah. I don’t have time for them, so they either starve, I kill them, I register them, or I give them to someone.”

“You could always suggest giving them to Miyavi. He likes having new ones.”

Yoochun sighed. “Miyavi is crazy. You better go.”

“Yeah. Hey. It’ll be alright. Hypothetically.”

Yoochun smiled and kissed her cheek. _Thank you_ , he whispered and showed her a small amount of the power that he had, but not letting her realize it was only a small amount.

She jerked in surprise and then shook her head. “That is …”

“I know.”

She backed away. “Good luck tomorrow.” And then she was gone.

Yoochun sighed. He waited until the first glimmer of the sun peaked over the horizon and then he went inside.


	30. where a zombie was first bitten is where he never heals

Yoochun sat, at his keyboard, a cup of coffee in his hand. Junsu was sleeping, recovering from the feeding Yoochun had needed after his meeting with Daniela. He put on his headphones and started playing random notes, a melody that soon wrapped up in his emotions and formed angry strains and sad overtures.

_You can hate us all you want  
You can fight us if you dare  
It doesn’t matter because  
We’re not going anywhere._

The lyrics ran through his head over and over, and he pounded angry refrains into it, but he didn’t write them down, because he didn’t know if it were true.

What if they couldn’t stay together? What was going to happen to them now?

This group had been a failure from the start.

He had too many personal problems, Yunho was a mess, Jaejoong was dying, Changmin and Junsu were doing their best to hold them all together. But how could they, when there was so much hate and so much anger hurled at them?

_Words mean shit, Powers draw blood  
But we’re stronger together  
Fuck your insults, kiss my ass  
we’re together forever_

It’d taken him so long to get the courage to try out at SME. He hadn’t thought his voice good enough, or his song writing perfect enough. It’d been one of the few times he’d contacted Yamapi, and Yamapi had told him to go for it. “Fuck, Yoochun, immortality means you don’t have to be afraid to try new things. If this doesn’t work out for you, then you do something else.”

Yamapi had been right, and Yoochun had almost felt human again. Human fear, human insecurities. These things never left you, no matter who you were.

With a sigh, Yoochun grabbed a pencil and wrote down the lyrics. He’d never forgive himself if he forgot them. He could use it in something. As soon as he started writing, he kept writing.

_Fighting won’t solve anything  
Cooperation is for real  
But fighting is always easier  
And frustration is what we feel_

_We’ll be friends because you’re different  
We will love because we love  
We know the pain and anguish  
We know it’s gonna be rough, but_

_We won’t hate because you’re different  
We won’t hurt because we hurt  
we know the pain and anguish  
But we’re trying to make this work._

It wasn’t perfect, but he’d play around with it a bit. He spun in his seat and watched Junsu sleep. Love: that was another thing that never left you, no matter who you were. All creatures felt love.

Very carefully, Yoochun reached out to Yamapi. The other vampire was sleeping, but he could feel Jun running a soft hand over his back. He switched people.

Jun immediately tried to kick him out.

 _Calm down_ , Yoochun said.

_What the fuck do you want?_

_I’ve been called before the Counsel. I’d like the Demons at my back._

Jun was quiet. _When?_

_Tonight._

_Wow. Short notice._

_I know. Daniela told me right before dawn._

_I guess they know about your power._

_Miyavi felt a power shift, but that’s all I know._

Jun sighed. _What do I get out of this?_

_Clan members._

_What?_

_I have nine clan members I can’t take care of_ , Yoochun let him see the newbies.

_Fuck. Stupid dumb bitch Lexy._

_Tell me about it. She had vampires less than fifty years old trying to turn humans into rogues. I’m surprised there aren’t more newbies._

_And you won’t do a power transfer?_

_No way. You’d take over the Counsel as soon as you could._

_Do you really think you’re that powerful?_

_It’s not about abilities, it’s about attitude and you know it. I couldn’t take over the Counsel because I don’t want to. You want to._

_That’s not necessarily a bad thing._

Yoochun scoffed, and he felt Jun smile.

_Okay, so I go with you for …_

_Moral support._

Jun snorted. _You’re such an emotional creature, Yoochun. Do you ever think you’ll grow out of it?_

_I hope not. You come and support me, collaborate my story about Lexy’s death, and then you get clan members. Of course, it has to be approved by Miyavi because only he can transfer them without a full power transfer._

_So in other words, you get what you want, and I just have to wait and see?_

_If he doesn’t, then I’m still indebted to you. I haven’t forgotten that you helped me, Jun. And I won’t forget that. Ever._

Silence. And then Yoochun grinned.

_What?_

_Are you really debating having a powerful vampire in your debt? Or should I say, even more in your debt, since I already owe you for helping with Lexy?_

Jun sighed. _Sometimes I hate you._

_Same here._

_Fine. I’ll do it. What time?_

_Daniela didn’t say. I’ll call her and let you know._

_Okay. Until then._

Yoochun let Jun kick him out of his head.

Arms wrapped around his neck.

“You were smiling,” Junsu whispered and kissed his shoulder.

“Talking to Jun. He and the Demons are going to come to the Counsel with me.”

“Good.” And then Junsu frowned.

“What?”

“I’m not sure if I’m more worried now, or relieved that you have some backup.”

Yoochun laughed. “Don’t worry. You don’t start shit at the Counsel. If you do, Miyavi jumps into your head and makes your heart and brain explode.”

Junsu shivered. “He can do that?”

Yoochun nodded. “Yeah. He’s … two thousand years old. I think. Maybe twenty five hundred. Something like that. If you ask him, he can tell you all about his buddy Jesus and who he really was.”

Junsu laughed. “Are you serious? That’s crazy.”

Yoochun stood up and walked Junsu backwards until his knees hit the bed and they both fell. Yoochun licked up Junsu’s neck to the bruise around two fang marks.

“You didn’t heal it,” Yoochun whispered.

“I like it.”

“I know, but—“

“I always heal them before I leave the room.”

Yoochun kissed his lips, chaste, slowly, and Junsu whimpered when Yoochun refused to speed up.

“I need to talk to you about something,” Yoochun said. “It’s been bothering me all morning.”

Junsu propped up on his elbows as Yoochun moved off him and further up on the bed. “Why am I suddenly scared?”

Yoochun shrugged. “Don’t be. It’s just … well, I’m having drama, and now Jaejoong is having drama, we all know Yunho’s story, but what’s yours? Why are you here? And am I going to have to threaten some elves soon if they start picking on you?”

Junsu smiled and climbed over him, settling with his legs straddling Yoochun’s waist. “I was banished from my tribe a long time ago,” he said. “Elves are incredibly moral creatures, and being gay is not moral. The only one I still talk to is my twin, but only because he risks his status in the tribe to talk to me. We meet every six months or so. Beyond the typical racist hate bullshit, I don’t think you have to worry.”

“But you’re still allowed at the nature preserve?”

Junsu nodded. “Only thing the human government has done that I like. It’s illegal to keep me out, because if I don’t go, then I could die, and if I die because my tribe keeps me out, then my death is their fault and they can be prosecuted for it. I’m not welcome when I go, but I have my own private room, so it’s not a big deal. I’ve been dealing with it for twenty years.”

“You told me you’d been in love once. With who?”

“Love doesn’t count when you’re only seventeen,” Junsu replied.

“That’s the best kind of love. Before you’re disillusioned, before you’re cynical, before you’re—“

Junsu sat up and crossed his arms. “And what about this kind of love?”

Yoochun laid his hands on Junsu’s hips. “Surreal. Perfect. Amazing.”

Junsu scoffed.

“I love you,” Yoochun said

“And how many people have you been in love with?”

“Four. Tsuki, Daniela, Yamapi and you. But with you it’s different, Su. Yes, I still love Yamapi, I always will, but there’s a fierceness in my feelings for you. More than just possession. More than just desire. I can’t explain it, but I can try to let you feel it.”

And Yoochun opened his heart. That’s the only way he could think of to describe it. Junsu gasped when the wave of feelings hit him. It was … too much, so much. He fell over Yoochun, demanding a kiss with his lips. Yoochun found the answering love in Junsu’s mind and heart. It was there, just as strong, and Yoochun pulled at it, wrapped himself around it, until their feelings were meshed. Junsu’s eyes fluttered and his breath grew short, and then Yoochun wrapped the feeling around the lust flying through both of their bodies.

Junsu threw his head back and cried out. He jerked his hips forward, riding Yoochun cloth-covered erection. His nails dug into Yoochun’s chest. Yoochun reached down and grabbed Junsu’s erection, stroking him roughly. He released the feelings, a mixture of both of them going into each body.

And Junsu came, arching come high over Yoochun’s chest. He collapsed, breath harsh. Yoochun chuckled, and wrapped his arms around Junsu’s shuddering body.

“God,” Junsu said as soon as he could. It felt like he’d just run fifty miles.

Yoochun smiled and kissed his nose. “Forever, Su. I mean it.”

Junsu nodded, content to let _his_ vampire hold him as his tired body succumbed to exhaustion.

v-v

Yunho’s cell vibrated. He snatched it up. A single text from an unknown number: I got him. We’ll be there in ten.

He growled, and looked back at Jae’s shuddering body. He’d spent the last few hours watching as light ricocheted around the shield and in and out of Jae’s prone form.

“Hyung, you need to eat,” Changmin said from the door.

“Ueda’s on his way with Heechul. I’ll eat later.”

“Okay.”

A few minutes passed, and then the front door opened, and angry shouts came down the hall. Ueda flung Heechul into the room before him, and Heechul just caught himself on the wall.

“Fix it, now.” Ueda said.

There was a light stream around Heechul’s neck, like a leash.

“No. He deserves it.”

“Damn it, Heechul. If you don’t fix it, and promise to leave him alone, I have no choice but to take you to the Gods and have you clipped. This is inexcusable.”

Changmin scoffed. “The Gods?”

“It’s what we call our government.”

“And I didn’t think you guys could get any more arrogant,” Changmin said.

The light around Heechul’s neck tightened.

“Look, Heechul. You attacked a Wing Class Faerie, and as far as I can tell, he threw no magic at you, just tried to defend himself. You’re lucky he’s not dead because if he were dead, you’d lose your wings.”

“I know the laws,” Heechul said with a smirk, “but even the Gods are going to take my side on this. He’s a traitor. And so are you and Hongki and now I see you have Taemin in your—“

The light tightened again, and Heechul choked.

Yunho put a hand on Ueda’s shoulder. “May I?”

Ueda grinned. “Sure. I have his magic leashed.”

Yunho grabbed Heechul’s neck with one hand and threw him up against the wall and held him there. “You heal him. Because if he dies, you’re the one I’m coming after. And I won’t be nice about it. You won’t just lose your wings, but I’ll disfigure you to the point that your magic can’t fix it, and you won’t even be able to look at yourself in the mirror. I know you don’t understand love, Heechul, but I love him, more than I have ever loved anyone in my life. I’m already keeping my claws at bay because all I want to do right now it rip your throat out for hurting him, but only you can heal him.”

Yunho dropped him.

Heechul fell to the ground, hand at his throat. “Fuck you all. He can die.”

Yunho growled and lunged at him, but Changmin grabbed him around the stomach.

“Don’t, hyung. Let me …” And Changmin smirked, wicked, and turned to Heechul still on the ground.

Changmin very slowly unbuttoned his shirt. “You probably don’t know this, Heechul, but where a zombie was first bitten is where he never heals. I can eat all the food I want, but this one place will always be gross, decaying flesh. Sort of a reminder of who I am. Look at it.”

Ueda yanked the light stream and forced Heechul’s head up. At Changmin’s hip, there was a spot about the size of a hand that was festering and green.

Heechul made a face and tried to back away from him.

Changmin reached down and scooped up a handful of the flesh.

Heechul started struggling. “You fucking—don’t you fucking dare!”

Changmin’s smirk widened. He held the flesh over Heechul’s head. A little piece plopped into his hair.

Heechul screamed and fought against the magical binding.

“Heal him,” Changmin said, “or I smear this in your hair and on your face and …”

“Okay, okay okay, fuck. I’ll do it. Just… god, keep the zombie away from me!”

Changmin smiled and stepped back. He kept the flesh in his hand. Ueda pulled Heechul to his feet.

“You hurt him again and I’ll let Changmin at you first before I kill you,” Yunho said, a growl in his voice.

Heechul snarled at them both.

Ueda dropped the magic from the orb around Jae and then from Heechul’s control. Heechul was muttering under his breath, but he raised his hands and sent a steady stream of light at Jaejoong.

Yunho held his breath, but Ueda wasn’t panicking, so whatever Heechul was doing was what he was supposed to do.

At first, the light did the same as it had before, just disappeared, but then after a few moments, it seeped into Jae’s body, under his skin. Jae gasped, back arching, and then he fell to the bed. Still. His back rose with a shuddering breath.

In the next moment, the leash was again around Heechul’s neck.

“You touch him again, Hee,” Ueda said, “and loyalties be damned, I will take you to the Gods. Now come on. I’m sure they want you out of their sight.”

“Okay, but god, get it out of my hair, my hair, get it out, out. Please, please. Get it out. I can smell it. It’s—“

He started leading him out. “I’ll be back,” Ueda said over Heechul’s mutterings.

Yunho smiled and then hugged Changmin tightly. “Thanks, Min.”

“No problem. Go for the weaknesses.”

Jae gasped, and Yunho was at his side in a heartbeat. Jae’s eyes fluttered open.

“Yunnie?”

“Hey, love.”

“Why do I feel like I’m barbecued?”

“It’s a long story. Don’t roll on your back. Your wings need to heel. Here, drink this.” Yunho held out the light-fused water. Jae’s lips closed around the straw and he took a few swallows. He coughed, and then slurped it down.

“Love you, Yunnie,” Jae muttered, and then fell back asleep.

Yunho leaned over and kissed his forehead. “I love you, too, Joongie.”


	31. Tell Yamapi that if he touches you, I'll kill him.

“Wow, Yoochun,” Changmin said. “Looking good.”

Yoochun rolled his eyes. “I look like a whore.”

Junsu frowned. “Why are you dressed like that?”

“Counsel rules.”

Changmin scoffed. “Rules?”

“You come dressed in the costume of your clan. This is the Demons’ costume.”

“But you’re not part of their clan,” Junsu said.

“Not technically, but it’s my turning clan, and since I haven’t declared my own, this is how I go.”

“Vampires are weird,” Changmin said with a head shake. “Zombies are too worried about eating to have shit like this.”

Yoochun sighed and looked down at his clothes. He was in tight black jeans, black boots and a black coat, open with nothing underneath it. He wore a necklace with the Demon Clan symbol on it. Even if he was his own leader now, he still remembered that he was turned and raised by them.

Junsu rose from his chair. He slid his hands along Yoochun’s stomach and up his chest. “At least it’s sexy,” he whispered and pressed his lips to Yoochun’s collar bone. “Tell Yamapi that if touches you, I’m going to kill him.”

Yoochun laughed. He kissed Junsu briefly. “He won’t.”

_Are you going to keep me connected so I don’t worry?_

_I don’t know. I might have to shut you out … but I won’t unless I have to._

_Okay. Be safe._

They exchanged I love you’s, and then Yoochun was gone.

“You two have a bad habit of talking in your heads,” Changmin said.

“I know. It’s nice, though. I never thought I’d find someone to speak mentally with.”

“You mean to be mental with.”

Junsu flicked a handful of dirt at him, but Changmin dodged and laughed.

v-v

Yoochun met Jun, Yamapi, Ryo and Shige on the roof. All four of them were dressed the exact same as him. The only difference was that Jun’s Demon Clan symbol was red, marking him as leader.

“Never thought I’d see you dressed in Demon duds again,” Yamapi said and whistled.

Yoochun smiled. “You touch me, and my elf is going to kill you. His words, not mine.”

Yamapi grinned.

“Are we running?” Yoochun asked.

Jun nodded. “We’ll keep your pace, Yoochun, so we don’t leave you behind.”

Yoochun smirked. “Oh really?” he said, and a moment later he was gone, his laughter echoed around the others, and he was already two buildings away.

“Well, fuck,” Shige said, and he was the first one after him. Ryo followed right after.

Yamapi met Jun’s eyes. “Powerful? That’s what you said.”

“Yeah.”

“How powerful?”

“You’re about to find out. Come on.” And they ran after them.

When they were in Korea, the Counsel always met in Inchon in a cave by the sea. Miyavi liked the sea. And he liked caves because they reminded him of home. Normally, it took them a good three hours to run there, but with the pace Yoochun set, they were there in less than two.

Yoochun was leaning against a rock near the cave, inspecting his nails, when the others caught up.

Shige fell into Ryo, gasping. “Dude, it’s like you flew.”

Jun was winded a bit, so was Yamapi. Jun shook his head and went over to the other two, offering them each a wrist which they sucked on eagerly.

Yamapi regarded him carefully. “Jun said you were powerful.”

Yoochun shrugged. “You might say that.”

“What do you mean?”

Yoochun sighed. “I … I’m only telling you guys this so you’re not surprised once we go in there, but I have more power running through me than I know what to do with.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I can walk around in the sun, Pi. No sunscreen.”

The sound of waves crashing against rock in the darkness filled the silence.

“Fuck,” Jun finally said.

“Remember, after you killed Lexy and Jaejoong flung light at the body? That didn’t even bother me. I had Jae tossing light at me the next day as an experiment. And that whole day I was outside running, in the sun.”

“Fuck,” Jun whispered. “Even Miyavi can’t do that.”

“I can’t control it right now, so … I really need you guys to help me. I can’t decide if I should hide it or not.”

“Can you?”

Yoochun shrugged. “Daniela says I register as a different vampire. All she could sense was power, but not how much. I don’t know if I can hide it, but I don’t know if I should. If I try and Miyavi finds out, then he’ll kill me.”

“Fuck.”

Ryo scoffed. “You keep saying that.”

“Got anything else to say?” Jun snapped.

“No.”

“Wish you’d told us this before we left,” Ryo said.

“Sorry,” Yoochun said. “I was thinking as we ran.”

Yamapi frowned. “You definitely do not want to hide this from Miyavi. He’ll find out. He always does.”

Yoochun nodded.

“Fuck. He’ll find out that you wanted to hide it from him.”

“So what do we do?” Shige said. “I’m not used to Yoochun being all powerful.”

“He always has been,” Yamapi said. “Just … not like this.”

Yoochun shut his eyes. “Let me show you. I won’t do anything but just put myself in your heads.”

“Yoochun,” Jun said in warning.

“I promise, Jun. I won’t.”

Jun stared at him, and then nodded. “Fine. But it’s not because I trust you. It’s because I know you can force your way in anyway. Let him in, guys.”

The others nodded, and Yoochun let himself free. He only sat in their heads for a few moments. Ryo and Shige were shocked, but could do nothing to his presence. Yamapi kicked him out immediately.

“Fuck,” Ryo said when Yoochun left them.

“That’s why I keep saying that!” Jun said.

“Fuck, Chunnie,” Yamapi said, “you could take ov—“

“Don’t fucking finish that sentence, Pi,” Yoochun said. “It’s not an option. Ever.”

Yamapi nodded.

“So now?” Jun asked.

_Have you told them about the clan members?_

_No. Figure I wait until it happens._

_No secrets? Would that be better?_

Jun sighed. “Yes.”

Yoochun nodded, and then told the others about his clan members that he couldn’t feed, and about how he could take over Jun in a heartbeat and how when he spoke mentally to him, he could see and feel what Jun could see and feel.

“Fuck,” Ryo said.

“Well, so what—“

A presence registered on Yoochun’s mind and he shook his head, silencing Yamapi. He turned to the cave and then jerked his head at them. _Someone is coming. Jun, take the point, please. I do not want to be in charge of this._

Jun’s scoff echoed in all their minds.

 _You can talk to more than one vamp at a time?_ Ryo said in awe.

_I guess so. Never really tried it before._

Jun moved in front of him, and they headed toward the cave. Yamapi and Yoochun flanked him on one side, with Ryo and Shige on the other.

 _Guess we’re just winging it,_ Shige’s voice said.

The others scoffed.

The vampire from inside the cave met them just outside the entrance. Yoochun had never met Uruha, but he knew the tall, elegant beauty when he saw him. He wore a blood red shirt and tight black pants. His hair was blond, falling into his dark eyes. Those eyes trained on Yoochun, calculating, probing, and Yoochun wondered if Uruha could jump in his head without Yoochun knowing he was there.

Yamapi had once said they’d been lovers a few hundred years ago, but when pressed he’d muttered that he’d really rather not talk about it.

“You boys going to come and join us?” he asked, voice deep, menacing. He finally looked at Jun.

Jun grinned. “Ah, did Miyavi start the orgy without us?”

Uruha laughed. “No. But he did wonder what was taking you all so long to get in here. You’re not planning a coup are you? Going to try to take over?” He nodded at Yoochun. “He’s powerful enough.”

Yoochun looked away.

 _Well, that secret didn’t stay secret for very long._ Yamapi said.

They followed Uruha into the cave. It was a real cave for about a quarter of a mile, and then the walls faded into carvings of vampires on the hunt and feeding and fucking. Torches lit the way.

“I see Miyavi still hasn’t discovered electricity,” Jun said.

Uruha didn’t smile, but they felt his amusement. Another ten minutes passed.

A little shiver of nerves made its way through Yoochun. He slammed down on it, but Yamapi held out his hand, and Yoochun took it.

 _Emotional,_ an unknown voice said in his head. _Don’t worry so much. Miyavi is going to like you._

 _Easy for you to say,_ Yoochun muttered before he could stop himself.

Laughter filled his head.

A set of heavy oak doors stood open and they walked into a circular, open chamber. The ceiling rose at least twenty feet over their heads. The carvings and pictures continued up and around in intricate detail. In the center of the room was a single, round dais. There were four vampires on the dais. Two of them had their lips locked together.

“Ah, and here I thought you weren’t going to start without us.”

One of the kissing vampires held his middle finger up at Jun.

“Where’s Kei?”

“Took off as soon as you registered,” Uruha said with a grin.

Jun scoffed.

Another vampire stood and walked over to Uruha. He was barefoot. His hair was long, ranging from blond to black in various sections. He wore a simple white vest and pants. There was a white strip of cloth over his nose. Yoochun had only heard his name once. Reita, and that was when Yamapi was cursing Uruha after he’d asked about their relationship.

Reita and Uruha stared at each other, talking mentally and then Reita’s gaze fell on Yoochun. He smiled. _Powerful child,_ he purred, voice deeper than Uruha’s.

Jun stepped in front of Yoochun, eyes narrowed.

“So protective, Jun,” an unknown voice said. Yoochun wanted to look at him, but Reita held his gaze, almost against his will.

“Reita looks like he wants dinner.”

A tall skinny vampire was suddenly in Yoochun’s face. He jerked a bit, but didn’t step back. Their noses almost touched. His hair was blue. There were tattoos over his neck and chest and arms. His lip was pierced as were his nose, eyebrows and both ears and both nipples. He wore only a pair of cream colored pants.

Yoochun wanted to look away, but decided he’d better not.

_So you’re Yoochun._

A strange feeling crept into Yoochun’s mind, and he threw up a block in front of it.

The other vampire’s eyebrows rose. The feeling grew stronger and Yoochun added more power to his block.

 _Let me in,_ the voice commanded, but soft. _I’m not going to hurt you, but if you keep fighting me, I might have to._

Yoochun dropped his shield. The feeling crawled through his mind and memories. It was like an eel weaving through branches of coral. Slippery. It made his skin crawl.

_Interesting._

Yoochun started shaking.

 _You’re alright,_ Yamapi’s voice said. _Here._

Yoochun grasped onto Yamapi’s hand.

Vaguely, like an echo, he heard Jun say, “Enough. He’s not—”

But Reita and Uruha quieted him.

Dizziness swam in front of his eyes, spotty and white.

And suddenly he was released. He fell to his knees, gasping, trying to get feeling back to his brain and fingertips.

The other vampire did not move.

And Yoochun realized he was still in his mind. _What the hell was that?_ he demanded as the other continued to flit through his memories and thoughts.

_A test of power. A test of strength. Don’t let Reita know, but you’re stronger than he is. But you lack time, years, control._

_It’s … it’s hard._

_I know, but you’ve done well. We, us, the Counsel, are surprised you have not gone crazy. When a vampire is given so much at once, they either go insane with power, or they just go insane._

Yamapi helped him stand up. “Are you alright?”

Yoochun nodded, eyes focused on Miyavi.

_Don’t worry so much. I know you’re scared. And you were right not to transfer power to Jun. He’d be here to kill me, the little shit._

Yoochun laughed out loud.

_And also, just for you information, just because I don’t walk around in the sun, doesn’t mean I can’t. Some powers are meant to be kept secret. I see you’ve told your clan, and that’s fine. My vampires know. The six of us can do it._

Miyavi clapped his hands twice. “Alright. Introductions. Park Yoochun, fabulous to meet you finally. I am Miyavi as you may or may not have figured out on your own. You’re a smart one. This is Reita and Uruha. And if Hiroto will stop drooling over Omi for a moment, then I’ll introduce them.”

The other two vampires on the dais looked bored. The male rolled his eyes at the joke and flicked his fingers at Miyavi in dismissal. His body was small, hair long and uneven flowing behind him. He wore the most clothes out of all of them, jeans, boots, t-shirt and hoody.

The female smiled and stood up. She slinked over to Yoochun. Her hair was white, spiked up around her head. She wore a flowing blue dress and sandals. She met Miyavi’s eyes for a moment and then smiled at Yoochun.

 _You’re in love,_ a soft voice whispered.

_Yes._

_And he loves you?_

_Yes._

_Lucky, Park Yoochun, to find a single creature to love you._

_I know._

_He is such a huge part of you. A vampire has not been given the power to make things grow for hundreds of years. He can teach you if you believe you can do it._

_Grow? Like plants?_

_Yes._ She held out her hand. A tiny vine twisted around her wrist and through her fingers. The end burst into a pink flower. She sliced the stem with a wicked nail, and then put the flower in the pocket of his coat. _For your elf._

And then she turned away.

“Okay, all acquainted?” Miyavi said with a smile. “Good. Let’s go have some dinner.”

He slung an arm around Hiroto’s shoulders and led the way from the room. The top of Hiroto’s head barely leveled with Miyavi’s shoulders.

_If you value your cock and balls staying connected, you will not call Hiroto short. At least not to his face._

Yoochun met Uruha’s eyes and smiled.

_And didn’t I tell you that Miyavi would like you?_

_I’m still not so sure._

_Trust me. If he didn’t like you, you’d be dead._


	32. It would be very wise not to refuse.

The room they entered was larger than the hall they’d been in. When Miyavi had said dinner, Yoochun was expecting to be led into a dining room. He was not expecting the couches, pillows, cushions and small tables all over. Many of them had bodies in various states of undress already laying on them. There were doors leading off the room also, and more torches and candles.

“Miyavi!”

A girl latched herself around Miyavi’s middle. She wore very little, black bra and panties, and a sheer wrap, left open. There was a collar around her neck.

 _Human?_ Yoochun sent to Yamapi.

_Yeah, he gets a new one every few years. They all have one or two._

Miyavi kissed her briefly and then with a happy grin, she slinked down his body, lips trailing along skin, before kneeling at his feet. He ran a hand over her black hair and met Yoochun’s questioning gaze.

“This is Shiko. That’s Yoochun.”

“He’s pretty,” the girl said, lust in her eyes. “Can he have me?”

Miyavi smiled. “Hungry, Yoochun?”

Yoochun swallowed. “I … I’m not sure what proper protocol would be in this situation, but my elf will kill me.”

Miyavi stared at him, eyes dark. “Proper protocol would be for you not to refuse a gift when it’s offered to you. Surely, your elf will understand.”

Shiko smirked.

“You haven’t met Junsu,” Yamapi said with a smile. “He’s possessive beyond possessive.”

 _It would be very wise not to refuse,_ Uruha said. _Miyavi likes you, remember. Refusing will only make him distrust you._

Yoochun fought back a sigh. His eyes found Uruha. He and Reita were already on a couch. A girl sat between them. Each held one of her hands above her head, and both had fangs in her neck and hands under her short skirt. She was moaning.

 _You could come and share Jules with us,_ Reita’s deep voice said with a grin.

Hiroto had moved to a cushion also. A pair of legs wrapped around him. Omi was no where in sight.

 _This is not what I was expecting when Miyavi said it was time for dinner,_ Yoochun said.

He heard Uruha scoff out loud. _We’re vampires, Yoochun. It’s what we eat._

Reita had moved to the girl’s body, fangs in the flesh just above her breast.

“The Demons may have who they wish,” Miyavi said. His fingers were trailing over and over Shiko’s face and chin. His eyes never left Yoochun.

Yoochun swallowed. It was amazing how Miyavi had gone from happy to cold and calculating in only a moment.

The others moved by them, Ryo and Shige finding a girl to share. Yamapi and Jun shared two boys between them.

 _I’m sorry, darling,_ Yoochun quickly sent to Junsu and then cut off the connection between them. He was left with only the feeling of Junsu’s confusion.

“So, are we eating on our feet?” Yoochun asked.

Miyavi laughed. He tugged on Shiko’s leash, and Yoochun followed them to an oversized cushion.

 _You don’t have to do anything to her,_ Uruha told him quickly. _Just feed._ Yoochun could feel the lust running through Uruha’s thoughts, and he spared them a glance. The girl was on her back on the couch, Reita inside her, Uruha inside him. And Yoochun was reminded why he hated vampire get-togethers. Tsuki had enjoyed the public feedings, but he never had.

Shiko lay on her back, and then stretched her arms out to Yoochun. “Gimmee,” she said, fingers wiggling like a child begging for a treat.

Miyavi sank down next to her, hands circling her tiny waist. With a raise of a pierced eyebrow, he motioned with his head to the cushion.

Yoochun took one more breath and kneeled next to the girl. She reached for his body, but Miyavi took her wrists.

“No touching, Shiko.”

“But … but he’s pretty.”

“I know. But he’s in love with someone else.” Miyavi placed open mouthed kisses on her neck.

Shiko flashed angry eyes at Yoochun. “I can make you love me.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Yoochun said with a smile.

She huffed and turned away. “He’s no fun.”

“Manners, Shiko,” Miyavi said and dragged fangs along her neck. Her eyes shut with a flutter, and she gasped an apology.

“Please, Yoochun,” she whispered. “I’ll be good. Bite me, please.”

Yoochun’s eyes shut, and then a hand closed around his coat and yanked him forward.

Miyavi glared at him again. “Eat.”

Yoochun nodded. Shiko’s excited squeal morphed to a moan when Yoochun slid his fangs below her skin. Human blood was rich, dark and clean. It lacked the tangy sweetness of Junsu’s blood, but it’d been an awfully long time since Yoochun had human blood. He sucked eagerly, losing himself in the taste.

He barely noticed when hands slid along his stomach and up to his shoulders. The coat fell to the floor.

 _Stop it,_ he growled at whoever it was.

Miyavi’s laughter filled his head. _Make me._

That feeling was back in his mind. That slippery, coiled, ready-to-strike feeling, and Yoochun mentally shouted at it, but Miyavi had caught him unprepared and taken over the part of his brain that controlled his body. He whimpered in his mind, and there was only a moment that he was able to send panic to Yamapi before that too was cut off.

He felt fangs in his skin and hands on his body.

A faint whisper told him to relax. But he couldn’t. And then that presence found thoughts of lust and Junsu’s body, and Yoochun gasped. He could feel the human’s skin under his questing hands, but was powerless to stop himself from touching her, tearing at the clothes, as the pleasure center of his brain was hammered on.

_Bite her._

And Yoochun obeyed, on the inside of her thigh, and he heard her scream in delight, and then hands were pulling at his pants, and he whimpered again, because fuck, he wanted those hands to touch him, he was so hard, but they were the wrong hands, the wrong hands!

Yoochun shut his eyes, searching for a way to break the control, even as his body obeyed the commands sent to it. Each time he attacked the presence, it shivered, but didn’t break. His vision went spotty. He thought he was fucking the girl, he couldn’t tell. Fangs sank into his neck. Everything blurred, pleasure overrode everything, but like the blood and the hands, it was the wrong pleasure, the wrong feelings.

Pleasure was supposed to be twisted and twirled with love and growth and magic and flowers and trees, and their tree, in their room, and quite suddenly, Junsu was there and he was in their room and they were holding each other, and the power and energy from their magical tryst coursed through him. He pushed at the presence in his mind and with a cry, broke away from both the girl and from the invading force, and he fell to his stomach, back rising in deep gasps.

He coughed. God, his body hurt.

Someone was yelling. Someone else was touching his back and saying his name over and over again.

Water splashed on his face and he sputtered again.

_That was fantastic._

Vampire protocol be damned, Yoochun told Miyavi to fuck off.

Laughter filled his head.

_Yoochun? Yoochun, god, Yoochun._

Yoochun sent a calming wave at Junsu. _I’m okay. Just … thank you._

_What’s going on? Why are you hurt? Why—_

_Hey, I’m okay. Now I am. This is taking too much effort. Here._ And Yoochun showed him what happened. He saw it, too. His memory was a lot clearer than when it was actually happening. He’d been fucking the girl from behind, hard fast, his fangs dug into her back. And then he was ripped away so violently that a chunk of her body came with it. Miyavi had been behind him, hands lips and fangs all over his body, in his neck.

_Fuck. I’ll kill them all for hurting you._

_I’m alright. Apparently, it was some test of power._

_Stupid vampire assholes. Who the fuck cares how powerful you are? You’re mine. Damn it._

_I’m yours. Forever, Su. Please. Calm down. I’m alright. Tired._

_You’re not going to be home tonight, are you?_

_Probably not. But I will contact you later, okay? I promise._

He felt Junsu sigh and then a whisper of a kiss touched his mind. _I love you,_ my _vampire. Make sure all those fuckers know you’re mine._

_I don’t think they’ll doubt it after this. I love you._

As soon as Yoochun closed their connection again, he passed out.

v-v

Yoochun woke up to familiar bodies around him. He burrowed into Yamapi’s stomach as pain lashed through his head. Another set of hands settled in his hair, a body along his, and a bit unconsciously, he arched into the skin. Ryo’s arm went around his stomach.

“Hey, you awake?” Yamapi whispered.

“God, I hope not,” Yoochun muttered as his head pounded.

“Here, feed, you’ll need it.” A wrist was laid against his mouth and he bit down, sucking blood so fast it barely registered in his mouth, but it dulled the pain in his head.

_Are we still here?_

Yamapi chuckled. _Yes. We can’t leave until Miyavi says we can._

_What time is it?_

_Almost eight a.m._

_Fuck._

Yoochun kicked Yamapi out of his head and then contacted a frantic Junsu, trying to calm him again and explain that he’d been unconscious and that he couldn’t leave now that it was daylight.

 _I could find you, you know,_ Junsu said.

_I know. Please don’t. I’m okay. You’re the one who is exhausted. You haven’t slept. Go to sleep._

_I’ve been worried about you!_

_I know. And I’m fine. Please._

_Okay._

_How’s Jaejoong?_

_He’s recovering. Ueda says another day or two and he’ll be just fine. Of course, he’s being a right bastard about his precious wings. Seriously, Yoochun, being mentally attacked by a vampire is probably more fun than listening to Jaejoong bitch about his appearance._

Yoochun laughed. _I’m sure._

_Come home soon, please. I miss you._

_I’ll be there as soon as I can. I love you._

_I love you._

Yoochun sighed. “Being in love is a pain in the ass,” he whispered.

“I won’t go so far as to say it’s what saved you from Miyavi tearing your mind apart, but it was close.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your mind sought out Junsu, and the two of you threw Miyavi out of your mind. Doesn’t happen often.”

“No, I got that, but what about Miyavi tearing my mind apart?”

“Oh.”

Ryo shifted behind him. “He says he wasn’t trying to, that he got caught up in the moment, but we’re not sure if we believe that.”

Yoochun sighed. “I could really do without having the most powerful vampire in this part of the world pissed off at me.”

Yamapi laughed. “Um, sorry, darling, but you are the most powerful vampire in this part of the world.”

Yoochun groaned. “Fuck.”

The door slammed open, and Jun stalked in, fuming. With a look, Ryo moved away from Yoochun and Jun took his place. Jun’s lips and teeth were immediately at Yoochun’s bare shoulder and he growled in frustration.

_You alright?_

_Miyavi won’t let us leave. I have a clan to take care of._

_It’s daytime anyway._

_I know, but I still want to get the fuck out of here._

Yoochun let him burrow against him, the fabric of his jeans harsh against Yoochun’s naked skin.

Clans? Shit.

 _Fuck,_ Yoochun muttered and contacted Eunhyuk. He was met with sleep, and he nudged him awake. _Everything okay?_

_Yeah. Sungmin went out to hunt though because the newbies were trying to attack each other. He didn’t kill anyone._

_Good. Look, I’m sorry. Something incredibly important came up, but I’ll be there tonight._

_‘kay._

Yoochun let him go back to sleep.

 _All’s well with the new clan?_ Jun asked.

_For now. I hate newbies._

_It was much easier when I turned mine. None of this ‘no feeding on humans’ nonsense. It’s like if the government suddenly said humans couldn’t eat beef._

Yoochun smiled. The hands on his skin turned from comforting to lustful and Yoochun met Yamapi’s eyes with a wry grin. “You’re pushing boundries, Pi.”

“It’s what I do best,” he replied and leaned in for a kiss.

Yoochun stopped him, and he frowned.

Jun stole a kiss against Yoochun's neck. “Leave him alone, Pi. He’s still exhausted.”

“And hungry,” Yoochun said as his stomach growled.

“Miyavi said he’d send us breakfast.”

Yoochun scoffed. “Real food, I hope.”

“Yeah.”

“Where’s Shige?”

Ryo snorted. “Passed out somewhere, probably.”

Jun shut his eyes, and nodded. “Go find him, Ryo. Bring him here. I don’t want any of us alone.”

“Okay.” Ryo climbed from the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans.

 _There’s something else wrong with you,_ Yoochun said carefully and held Jun more tightly.

Jun sighed. _How the hell can you always tell?_

 _Emotional vampire, remember?_ Yamapi said.

_What’s wrong?_

_Kei, the son of a bitch, refuses to see me._

_Why?_

Jun met his eyes and smiled. “He’s who turned me.”

_And? Why would he not want to see you?_

_Guilt. Eight hundred fucking years of guilt. You’d think the asshole would get over it._

Yamapi laughed.

_Shut up, Pi. He never meant for me to live. He killed my family and thought I was dead until I came after him, weak and hungry._

_Wow._

_It’s like … if Yamapi ever started avoiding you. You can imagine how painful that would be._

Yoochun smiled at Yamapi. _Yes, but I have more problems trying to keep him away._

Yamapi laughed and kissed him quickly. _Don’t worry, Jun. He’ll come around. Miyavi will make him._

They settled into silence. A few minutes later, Ryo came back, carrying a giggling, clinging Shige.

“Drunk off blood,” Ryo said.

“Drunk off love,” Shige replied with a giggle and started sucking on Ryo’s neck.

“We’re going to go in the other room,” Ryo said with a grin.

Jun rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

Yamapi pulled on his arm, and Jun shifted so neither were against Yoochun, but pressed against each other. “Come on. I can take your mind off him for awhile.”

Jun smiled. “Wanna join us Yoochun?”

“No thanks.”

Yamapi slapped his bare ass. “Then you should put clothes on.”

“You should control your libidos.” Yoochun slid out of the bed. His head went light when he stood, and Jun settled a hand on his hip.

_I’m okay. Just lightheaded._

_You will be until you get food in you._

Yoochun nodded. He slipped on a pair of jeans and then sat on the chaise lounge across the room. He watched Jun and Yamapi kiss for awhile, and then decided he’d be better off sleeping. He was still weak, and if Miyavi meant to rip his mind apart, he’d need energy to keep him from doing so. He found the part of him that was connected to Junsu and sighed. He wasn’t sure how, but his mind snuggled against it and it almost felt like Junsu’s arms were around him.

v-v

A few hours later, someone knocked on their door.

Yoochun stirred from where he’d fallen asleep and sniffed. The air smelled of sex and sweat and blood. Jun and Yamapi were asleep on the bed, bodies covered in sex, sweat and blood. And Yoochun was very glad they’d been quiet enough that he’d slept through it.

“Yoochun,” a female voice whined.

Yoochun rolled his eyes.

“I have breakfast for you.”

“Lunch now,” another voice said with a giggle.

Yoochun sat up, made sure he could stand without shaking, and then went and opened the door. Shiko and Jules were on the other side of it, holding trays full of food. Both were naked, and there was a bandage on Shiko’s back where Yoochun had ripped out some of her flesh.

Yoochun took the tray and realized it was attached to the girls’ wrists. They were going to have company for breakfast.

“Miyavi says you’re supposed to feed again,” Shiko said with a very self-satisfied smile.

Yoochun snorted. “Fine. But it’s going to be on my terms without that asshole in my head.”

Shiko gasped. “He’s not an asshole. He’s perfect.”

Yoochun rolled his eyes. “Well, come in. Since we have no choice.”

“What the fuck?” Yamapi said.

“Food.”

“It’s about time,” Jun said, blinking his eyes to get them to open.

The two girls each had a tray and had to kneel by the bed so the vampires could eat.

“This is ridiculous,” Yoochun said.

Yamapi shrugged as he ate a plateful of noodles.

They finished the food quickly, and Yoochun settled back in the chaise lounge with a very much needed cup of coffee. The two girls smiled at each other, and then Shiko crawled over to Yoochun.

“You’re supposed to feed on me again.”

“God, do you even have blood left?” Yoochun asked.

Shiko shrugged. “Don’t care. I want you, and Miyavi always gives me what I want.”

Yoochun shook his head in disbelief. He pointed next to him. “Sit there, and don’t touch me.”

She pouted, but sat where she was told to.

He put his hand at the back of her neck, only so he could tilt her head, but she moaned anyway, and Yoochun rolled his eyes before sinking fangs into her neck. He had only taken three swallows, before the girl’s hand was between her own legs. He smacked it away.

“No.”

“But it’s hot!” she protested.

“I don’t care. Don’t.”

“But Jules is having fun with the other two.”

There was a moan, but Yoochun did not look over at them. “So be a good girl, sit there, let me take what I need and then you can go play.”

“I want to play with you,” she said with a pout.

Yoochun sighed and slammed his fangs into her neck again. She squealed in delight and he drank. When her hands slid along her thighs again, Yoochun grabbed her wrists and growled. She whimpered.

And Yoochun had enough. He pulled away despite her pleading moan. _I’m going to go take a shower._

_Sexy._

That was Miyavi’s voice. Yoochun growled and kicked him out of his head.

_I am really starting to hate that guy,_

Jun and Yamapi grunted. _You get used to it,_ Jun said. _Now go away._


	33. you have to remember that your clan comes first

Not long after Yoochun finished showering, a voice echoed around him, “Everyone of importance to the main chamber, please. Again. Everyone of importance to the main chamber.”

He heard Yamapi whimper in frustration.

Two seconds later, Jun and Yamapi were in the bathroom with him, naked. They headed to the shower.

“Gosh, couldn’t he have waited until we were through, fuck.” Yamapi slammed the shower stall open.

“You’ll live,” Yoochun said.

They both snorted.

Showered and dressed, the three of them found Ryo and Shige waiting for them. Shige was still a bit loopy, with a silly grin on his face, but he wasn’t stumbling anymore.

“Too much human blood for you,” Jun said.

“Oh, yeah, baby,” he replied.

Jun looked at Yoochun. _You leading, oh powerful one?_

_No. I don’t even know where the main chamber is._

Jun spun around and headed down the hall, again with Yamapi and Yoochun on one side, and the other two on the other.

The main chamber was through another door off the entry way. The ceiling here was even higher, rising fifty feet or more. It was set up much like a medieval throne room. The six Counsel members sat in chairs on a dais. Miyavi was in a tank top and jeans, the most casual of the six. Omi wore a blood red dress with a train spread out behind her. Hiroto was in khakis and the same brown hoody. Reita was still in white, but Uruha had changed. He was wearing what were probably the shortest shorts Yoochun had ever seen in his life, and a pair of knee high black boots. His long legs were crossed. Reita’s hand rubbed up and down his bare thigh. The sixth member who Yoochun figured was Kei wore a black suit.

Yoochun threw up every single shield he could around his consciousness.

Uruha smiled at him and shook his head. _Don’t blame you, but Miyavi—_

_Shut up, Uru._

Miyavi was not smiling. As soon as the Demons stood in front of them, Miyavi rose and walked down the two steps. He flicked his fingers and grudgingly, Jun and Yamapi, moved. Once again, Yoochun found himself nose to nose with Miyavi, and this time he was pissed.

 _I’m not sure I like you,_ Miyavi said.

_Trust me, the feeling is mutual._

_So one question, and then I’ll decide whether or not to kill you._

_Okay._

_Why haven’t you joined forces with the clan that surrounds you and killed us all and taken over?_

Yoochun scoffed. _Seriously?_

_Dead serious._

_I don’t want to,_ Yoochun said with a shrug.

_That’s it?_

_Should there be more?_

Miyavi ticked the reasons off on his fingers. _We’re not powerful enough, we need more clan members, we’re—_

_I am powerful enough. Five of us, six of you. Not bad odds, but if we had come to take over, all of Jun’s clan would be here. I just don’t want to._

_What do you want?_

_I want to make music and be with my lover._

_So simple._

_It’s the truth._

_If it wasn’t, you’d be dead._ Miyavi turned away from him and went back to his seat. Everything was silent as Miyavi continued to stare at him.

“You want to transfer clan members to Jun.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I have four newbies, and I don’t have time to take care of them.”

“Jun can take care of them for you.”

“Yes, at a price. I’m already indebted to him.”

“I could do the transfer, but honestly, Yoochun, I’m beyond pissed off at you right now, so, call it petty if you wish, but I don’t think I will.”

Yoochun tried and failed to shut down his irritation.

Miyavi grinned. He held his hand out and a strip of metal flew from the wall and into his hand. As he talked, it bent and twisted and snapped. The pieces took shape.

“You need to remember, Yoochun, that you are nothing without your clan, nothing without their support. I am powerful, yes, but I can’t do everything. Uruha reads emotions for me, not because I can’t, but just because he’s better at it. Omi fuels our lives with growth. Reita controls lust, anger, passion and Hiroto calms him with logic and sarcasm. Kei protects us all with love and concern, more than any vampire in existence. Your clan, your family, should always be your first concern. Your first thought. Your first breath. Those that came with you are no longer your clan. You can survive without them. They can survive without you. Those you live with, yes, even your elf, can survive without you. You can survive without them.”

The twisted pieces of metal fell at Yoochun’s feet.

It was silent for a long time, and then he bent down and picked one up. At first he thought it was only a heart, but the shape was made by a vine covered in wicked thorns. Touching a fingertip to one pierced his skin. As he held it, the metal warmed, heated. The main stem turned blood red, and the thorns and leaves turned green.

“Your clan symbol. They may be young, they may be a pain in the ass, but they are yours. Take them their symbols tonight, bond with them. I am not telling you to give up on what you want, or to leave your elf. We all know and we all felt the power you two can wield together, but you have to remember that your clan comes first.”

 _You’ve always been alone, Yoochun,_ Uruha said. _Even when you were with those that stand with you today. But you don’t have to be. You shouldn’t be. It will be hard, it will piss you off, but you are a compassionate and emotional vampire. I know that you can feel Jun’s heartache even as he stands stoic and calm next to you. You’ve been given such a combination powers, but you don’t have to do everything alone._

“Your singing group debuts in two weeks?” Miyavi asked.

“Hopefully.”

Miyavi nodded. “As Kei is so graciously reminding me, we have a responsibility to the clan leaders below us to help when needed. We will stay here for three weeks, and help with your newbies until you are able. That should be fair enough.”

Yoochun bowed, and it wasn’t mocking. “More than fair. Thank you.”

“God, even when I want to be pissed at you, I end up liking you.”

“I’m sorry.”

Miyavi stood up suddenly. He walked to Omi’s chair and held out his hand. She took it and without only one more mock glare at Yoochun, they left the chamber.

“Great,” Hiroto said. “I guess that means the meeting is over. You guys can hang out until sundown if you want.”

Jun scoffed.

“Oh, right,” Reita said. “Can’t walk in the sun.” And the others laughed as they stood. They headed for the same door Miyavi and Omi went through.

“Kei,” Jun whispered, and it was only loud enough for Yoochun and the others to hear, but Kei stopped, head bowed.

Jun walked to him, and when he made no move to get away, Jun hugged him.

 _Emotional Jun is very disconcerting_ , Ryo whispered.

Yoochun nodded. _Let’s go. Give them some privacy._

v-v

Two hours before dawn, Yoochun stumbled into the apartment. There were gashes on his chest and stomach, blood on his skin. Bonding with a clan meant more blood, more feedings, more sex, more … Yoochun shivered. Miyavi had said that one of the Counsel would go every few hours and feed his newbies. It was by far more than Yoochun had expected of them. Before leaving the chamber, Miyavi’s last thought in Yoochun’s head had been, _Your band is good. Your voices work well together. I’m really only helping you because I like your music, and I want to buy your CD._

Yoochun took off his coat, and went to hang it up, remembered the blood all over it and dropped it to the floor instead. And then he had his arms full of elf. _His_ elf, and he took a deep breath of Junsu’s scent and wrapped his arms around him. He was too tired to reply mentally to any of Junsu’s questions, just let him feel his love and gratefulness.

 _I need to be clean and I need to sleep,_ Yoochun said.

Junsu agreed to both and then kissed his cheek lightly. _Shower? Bath?_

_Bath. Too tired to stand up for longer than I have to._

_Okay. I’ll go start it for you._

_Thanks, Su. I love you._

_I love you._

Junsu headed down the hall.

The others were in the living room, now staring at him. YunJae were curled up on the couch. Changmin and his vampire were on the floor. Dee would not meet Yoochun’s eyes, but he was really too tired to care. He sort of realized he was exuding power. He tried to reel it in.

“I was going to come and hug you,” Jaejoong said and wrinkled his nose, “but I think I’ll wait until you’re clean.”

“Everything okay?” Yunho asked.

Yoochun nodded. “For now.”

“Are you hungry, hyung?” Changmin asked. “I can make-“

Yoochun made a face. “No. Thanks, though. I … yeah … too much blood in me at the moment. I’m trying not to throw up. You alright, Jaejoong?”

Jae sighed and flopped against Yunho. “No. They’re making me sit in the sun all day.”

Yoochun laughed. “You look good with a tan.”

“I always look good, but fuck you anyway.”

Yunho winced and tightened his arm around Jaejoong. “Sore subject.”

“So I see,” Yoochun said with a grin.

Junsu called him from down the hall. Yoochun sighed. “At least I have you guys to come home to. Who would have thought that living with four other creatures would be the normal part of my life?”

Changmin nodded. “Weird, I know.”

“Do we have to be anywhere today?” Yoochun asked.

Yunho shook his head. “No, management has finally decided to postpone our debut. But tomorrow night, we are shooting the video for “I’m Better Than You”. Oh, and Lee Sooman says he’s going to move us to a different apartment. We don’t know where yet, but he wants us in a building and an area with more security.”

Yoochun nodded. “Good. I’m going to go sleep for sixteen hours.”

Yoochun went to the bathroom. Junsu was already waiting for him, naked, in the bathtub. Yoochun grinned, and striped as quickly as he could. He ducked into the shower stall to rinse most of the blood and semen off his skin.

He settled with a groan into the warm water. Junsu wrapped arms around him from behind.

_Are you going to tell me what’s going on with your clan?_

_No. You can jump in my head and see it. I’m too tired for anything else._

_I’m going to be pissed off, aren’t I?_

_Yes._

_But—_

_Miyavi refused to give them to Jun. Let’s just say I pissed him off a bit when we threw him out of my head. He gave me a clan symbol and a clan name and really, there’s nothing else I can do but accept it, so I accepted it, and if I had asked for your permission, you would have said no, and you have to understand that it’s no longer an option._

Junsu was not happy about any of it. At all. And as he flit through Yoochun’s memories, Yoochun felt his anger rise. Yoochun didn’t really blame him. He spent the night fucking nine different vampires and sharing blood with and from them.

Junsu shoved him away and climbed out of the tub.

Yoochun reached for him mentally, and Junsu cut him off before stalking out of the bathroom. He sighed. He thought briefly of contacting Jun or Yamapi, or fuck, even Uruha, but at this point, the only one he wanted in his head was Junsu.

Junsu ignored Jaejoong when he asked what was wrong, and they all winced when the door slammed behind the elf.

“What the fuck is wrong with him?” Jae asked.

Yunho shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought he’d be happy that Yoochun is back.”

“Stupid emo. We’re all so fucking emo. I hate this shit. Minnie, sing for me or something. Make me feel better.”

“I can make you feel better,” Yunho said and nuzzled against his neck.

“You’re right. You can. Go get me ice cream. Lemon ice cream.”

Yunho pulled back and stared at him in amazement. “What?”

“Changmin singing and lemon ice cream are the only things that are going to make me feel better. Go.”

Jae pushed him a bit harder.

Changmin sang, “Just do it, hyung. It’s easier to live when he’s happy.”

“Fuck you. Sing a real song, bastard.”

Changmin untangled himself from Dee's arms and stood up. He gave Jaejoong an exaggerated bow. “Of course, my liege. Any requests?”

“One of your singles. I don’t care which one. A pretty one.”

Changmin’s voice filled the apartment.

Jae sighed, and then glowered at Yunho. “Are you still here?” Jae pushed him again. “Go, go. I need lemon ice cream.”

Yunho smiled and stood up. He kissed Jae on the cheek, and said, “I’ll get it, but only if you plan on eating it off my body.”

Jae shivered, flashed lustful eyes at him, and then smiled. “Go get it and then we’ll talk.”

Yunho growled and with one more kiss, headed out the door. God, he loved being in love. Being in love had to be the best, most fabulous, amazing feeling ever. He headed down the street to the nearest convenience store. He was sure they didn’t have lemon ice cream, but he’d search the whole neighborhood to bring Jaejoong what he wanted.

He stopped in his tracks and sniffed.

Werewolf.

How many? Four? Maybe five.

He was about to pass it off as nothing, when he caught a whiff of Junsu’s unmistakable scent. Growling, he ducked into an alley and crouched down. Five figures at the end of the alley. He was down wind, that was good. He could see little spurts of green magic, but the werewolves were laughing. Junsu could kill them all easily, and for a moment, Yunho wondered why he didn’t, and then caught his name.

“We were waiting for Yunho and got an appetizer instead,” one crooned. “Such a pretty thing. Should we deflower this moral creature of the earth?”

Fuck. It was a voice he knew well. Like he could forget the voice of his pack leader.

“You’re all quite annoying and ugly,” Junsu’s voice said. “Would the world care if I killed you all?”

Growls filled the alley.

Yunho felt his blood burn, and his vision went golden. He stepped out from hiding spot and walked down the alley.

“What do you want, Bi?”

The werewolves all spun around to him. He saw the relief in Junsu’s eyes. They parted and let Yunho stand next to Junsu. Bi was there with the omega of the group, Seven. The other two, Yunho recognized, but could not remember. It’d been a long time since he’d been around pack members.

Bi smiled. “Ah, the man of the hour. You need to come back to the pack.”

“Why?”

“Because this is ridiculous. You did not tell us you were moving groups, and you said nothing about it being integrated.”

“You said I could perform and dance for ten years, and then I had to come back. It has not been ten years. You stated no other stipulations.”

“Well, we never thought you’d be stupid enough to do something like this.”

Yunho met Junsu’s eyes. “You can leave, Su.”

“No way, Yunho. I’m not going to leave you to them.”

Yunho nodded once.

“So you’re going to refuse?”

Yunho shrugged. “You’re the one breaking your word, Bi, not me.”

“As your leader, I can make decisions when I feel like one of my alphas is not behaving properly. Come back to the pack. Victoria is anxious to finally mate with you.”

“Is that what this is about?”

“You’ve been promised since you were pups.”

“Yes, and if she wants me, she can wait.”

“And yet, there are rumors of you loving the faerie.”

Yunho had no idea how they’d heard about it, but he kept his face blank, and said nothing. You did not lie to your pack leader.

“So you’re resisting.”

Yunho shrugged. “At this point no, because I plan on leaving this alley with my band mate and going back to our apartment.”

“I plan on taking you back to the pack.”

Junsu sighed. “A fight against four werewolves,” he muttered. “Not exactly how I planned on spending my evening.”

“Problems with Chun?”

Another sigh. “Yeah. Just …”

The four werewolves bared their teeth and their eyes went golden.

“I say we talk about it later,” Junsu said as the wolves stalked forward and they moved back.

“Good idea. Watch out for claws. These four can shift their fingers to claws.”

“Fuck.”

“Don’t worry, so can I. What can you do?” Yunho asked as they continued to back away, deeper into the alley.

“I’d rather not kill them. Can we outrun them?”

“Probably not.”

“So I throw stronger spells at them.”

“Can you throw fire like Jae can?”

He shook his head. “I’m limited to water, soil and plants and stuff. Energy.”

“Just put all your power behind it.”

“This is all very fun,” Bi said, “a walk in a dark smelly alley, but really, just come with us, Yunho. Save yourself the energy, and then we won’t have to kill the elf.”

Junsu scoffed. “Like a couple of baby puppies could kill me.”

They all growled.

“Good one,” Yunho said, and then Bi jumped at them.

Junsu threw soil in his face, and it was enough that Yunho could slice claws against his shoulder before their bodies collided. Another one of the four joined their fray, and then Junsu flung energy and water at the last two.

“God, this alley is going to smell like wet dog forever,” Junsu said, as he quickly twisted away from one and launched up onto a fire escape. He swung his legs and caught the other with his foot to chin. “You can’t get wet dog smell out of anything.”

He was able to flip over the other, but then a foot swiped under him and he fell to the ground. A thorny vine shot from his hand and wrapped itself around the face of a werewolf, and he howled as the thorns cut into his face. The vine stayed tight, blinding him, cutting off his breathing, and he tried desperately to get rid of it.

Junsu and the other slowly circled each other. “One down.”

He lunged.

His claws caught Junsu’s arm as he circled away, but the other didn’t pull back in time and Junsu grabbed him and threw him a couple hundred feet away. He was on his feet immediately, and then running, and Junsu caught another claw in his leg, and they traded blows.

Someone was whimpering and it really sounded like Yunho. Junsu whipped a vine out, but the other snatched it in his hands. He smirked, like he’d done something good. Junsu smiled. “Stupid,” he sang and pulled the vine in as fast as he could. His fist connected with the other’s face and he went down.

He turned before the werewolf could stand up.

Yunho was pinned, but still fighting both of the werewolves on top of him. One had claws deep in Yunho’s chest. Blood was pouring from the wound. Junsu threw out two vines. The first wrapped around a face, and the wolf fell off Yunho. It was enough that Yunho was able to twist away and throw Bi off his body.

Junsu ran to Yunho and helped him up.

Bi stood, snarling. He stepped forward. Junsu let vines out and they circled Yunho and Junsu, waiting, protecting.

“You have to come back.”

“You gave me ten years,” Yunho said a strain in his voice.

“Come on,” Junsu said, and tugged on his arm. “Let’s get out of here, before they get free of the vines.”

Yunho nodded.

“You go, I’ll watch your back.”

Yunho stumbled, limping quickly.

“You’re refusing a direct command from your pack leader, Yunho," Bi said. "I hope you know what that means.”

Yunho ignored Bi and continued walking. He could feel blood flowing from his thigh and he’d be lucky if he made it out of the alley before he passed out.

Junsu was suddenly next to him, arm around his stomach. “You have to go to the hospital,” he said.

Yunho nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. That would be good.”

Junsu pulled out his cell phone and called one of their drivers. He gave their location, said, hurry, and then hung up.

“Call the others.”

“I will, on the way.”

“I …”

“I know. I’ll get Jaejoong there as soon as I can. I have to make sure you don’t fall over and hurt yourself though.”

They exited the alley and headed toward the dorms. Yunho was trailing blood behind him. Junsu cursed, and then breathed a sigh of relief when the car squealed around a corner and stopped next to him. Junsu helped shove Yunho inside and then told the driver to go to the werewolf hospital as fast as he could.


	34. They won't let me see him.

“What do you mean I can’t go with him?”

“We appreciate you bringing him in, _sir_ , but you’re an elf.” The doctor looked down his nose at Junsu. It took all of his self-control not to throw the doctor across the room.

“He’s my friend.”

“A wolf would not be friends with an elf. Please wait outside, if you must.”

“This is bullshit,” Junsu snapped and turned around.

He left the emergency room and went outside. He needed comfort and he needed … something. He touched the mental link to Yoochun.

_We’ll be there soon._

_They won’t let me in to see him. They … they won’t …_

_It’s okay, darling. We’ll be there soon._

_I’m a fucking elf so they won’t let me in to see him. I—_

_Changmin has already called Lee Sooman, and he’s throwing a fit. Just … I’ll be there in five minutes, okay?_

_Okay._

Junsu did not cut the connection, but paced outside of the hospital until the others showed up. The van pulled to a stop and Jae was the first one out of the doors, furious beyond furious. He was actually flying and Junsu caught him around the middle.

“Jae, calm down,” Junsu said as he struggled. “They won’t let you see him. They won’t.”

“They have to, stupid fuckers, I’m his boyfriend; they have to let me.”

“They won’t. Just … we have to wait.”

“But he’s hurt, he-he needs me, Junsu, he needs me.”

“I know he does, and you’ll get to see him, okay? Just not right now.”

Jae collapsed and cried into Junsu’s shoulder. Junsu held him tightly, and then met Yoochun’s eyes over Jae’s shoulder. They were concerned, but less about Yunho and more about Junsu. Yoochun had seen the claw marks on his arm.

And suddenly Jae noticed. “Su, you’re … blood. You’re hurt. You’re fucking hurt. What are you—you need to have these looked at.”

“I’m—“

“Don’t you dare tell me you’re okay, you liar. These are deep.” Jae herded him toward a van. “Go, you and your vampire go and get you checked up. Now. No arguments.”

Jae practically pushed him into the van. Yoochun followed after him.

“I’ll call you,” Jae said. “Lee Sooman is on his way and he’ll at least be able to go see Yunho.”

“Come on, Su,” Yoochun said, as Junsu went to protest. “Please.”

“Fine.” Junsu sulked in the seat, arms crossed.

The driver started the car and headed away.

 _May I hold your hand?_ Yoochun asked.

Junsu scoffed.

Yoochun sighed and held out his hand anyway. Junsu looked at it but did not take it. Yoochun left it between them.

Junsu looked out the window. Heartache spread through him. Pain, betrayal.

 _What part of_ MINE _did you not understand?_ Junsu whispered. _Mine. Mine. Mine._

_I have no words to defend myself, Junsu. You saw what happened and what I had to do._

_I don’t understand though. They were already your clan, why did you have to go and have some massive orgy with them?_

_Bonding, Junsu. Now … now, they’re not just my clan. They’re more like brothers, sisters, family. They’re all much stronger because they’re tied to me. They’re all more loyal. I don’t ever have to do it again. Jun and his vampires do what I did at least once a week because they want to. Not because it was necessary. It was necessary this time to bind them to me._

_You’re bound to me. Aren’t I enough for you?_ That was whispered and it made Yoochun’s heart ache. He reached for Junsu, but he flinched away.

_You’re all my heart needs, Junsu. You’re all my love needs._

Junsu did not reply, but sat and stared out the window. Now that the adrenaline and anger were leaving his system, his wounds hurt like a bitch. They pulled up to the elf hospital a few minutes later.

 _They won’t let you in, you know,_ Junsu said.

Yoochun smiled. _I know. Sun’s coming up anyway. I’ll wait out here for you. They shouldn’t keep you long._

Junsu nodded and climbed over him. Yoochun whimpered when he was so close and decided that Junsu’s couldn’t possibly get madder at him, so Yoochun grabbed his shoulders, pulled him forward and kissed him quickly, deeply.

_I love you._

Junsu was a bit breathless from the kiss, and he sort of grinned. _I love you, too, but I’m still beyond pissed off._

_I know._

Back at the werewolf hospital, Jae was wearing a tract in the grass outside the doors. Changmin stayed close to him. Werewolves had come and gone, growling at them in irritation.

Lee SooMan and four security guards from SM showed up. He asked how they were holding up and then said, “Well, come on. We’re going to go visit him.”

Sooman stalked into the ER department. “I’m here to see Jung Yunho.”

“Fine,” a nurse said, “but the faerie and the zombie—”

“—are with me and can come as well,” Sooman interrupted.

“I’m sorry, but we cannot—”

Sooman pulled out a piece of paper. “This is the contract that Jung Yunho signed with me. It says in it that in case of an emergency, I am to make all decisions regarding medical care. And as these two creatures are his friends, I am telling you that they are coming with me to see him, and if you stop me or them, then you will be faced with a lawsuit.”

The nurse paled. “Let me go find his doctor.”

It took one more threat of a lawsuit, and then they were ushered to an elevator. Changmin and Jaejoong were surround by the extra security.

Yunho was in a brightly lit room, lying on the bed, eyes shut. He had a heavy bandage on his chest and one on his leg.

Jae started toward him, but Changmin grabbed his shoulder and shook his head, eyes traveling to Lee SooMan. Jae bit his lip and nodded.

Yunho’s eyes opened and immediately landed on Jaejoong. He whined like a beaten puppy, and Jae lost his the fight with his self control. He flew to the bed, took Yunho’s hand and kissed his forehead and his cheeks and his lips.

“You stupid” _kiss_ “stupid” _kiss_ “stupid wolf” _kiss_ “I tell you to go get ice cream” _kiss_ “and you go and almost get yourself killed instead. What part of ‘Hey Yunho, go get me lemon ice cream’ sounds like, ‘Hey Yunho, go get yourself cut up by your pack leader.’ Stupid.” _kiss_ “stupid” _kiss_ “stupid.”

“Um, Jaejoong,” Sooman said with a raised eyebrow.

Jae stopped kissing him for a moment, and then blushed and looked away. He did not let go of Yunho’s hand.

“We will definitely discuss this later,” he said. “Yunho, what’s going on?”

“My pack leader cornered me with three others, but with Junsu’s help, we managed to get away. He ordered me back to the pack and I refused.”

Sooman nodded. “Well, that’s going to cause some problems.”

“This whole group is causing problems,” Yunho muttered. “Three of us have been attacked. Four if you count Bi attacking Junsu before I showed up.”

Another grave nod. “Yes. How long will you be in the hospital?”

“Just until tomorrow. They only want to keep me for observations.”

“Okay. As soon as you’re released, we’ll have a meeting and discuss where to go from here. Where are Junsu and Yoochun?”

“Junsu was injured, too,” Jae said. “Not as severely, but he’ll need stitches. Yoochun went to the elf hospital with him.”

“Something going on between those two, too?” Sooman asked with a grin.

“Maybe,” Jae whispered.

Sooman turned to Changmin. “What about you?”

“Vampire girlfriend,” Changmin said with a smirk.

Sooman sighed and shook his head. “At least you five are learning to look beyond your differences.”

“Yeah,” Jae said. “I thought I’d had killed all of them by now, but it’s the rest of the world that I’m worried about.”

“I am leaving the security guards with you. And they will accompany you to your house,” Sooman said. “Please don’t stay the night, Jaejoong, not matter how much you want to. Okay? We don’t need the wolves more pissed off. I have to get back to the office. I will send security to the elf hospital as well and escort the other two home.”

The three nodded.

Sooman and one other man left. They heard his voice bellowing at the doctor down the hall. The other three security guards went outside.

And Jae pounced, kissing Yunho fiercely. “You’re stupid.”

Yunho shook his head. “Should I have left Junsu alone to fight them off?”

“Of course not, but … fuck. Your pack leader.”

“What does this mean?” Changmin said. “You both sound like it’s the end of the world.”

“When you go against your pack, or refuse a direct order from your pack leader, you’re kicked out. It’s like you no longer exist.” Yunho sighed.

“But … but that’s a good thing, right?” Jae said. “Now you don’t have to go back, and …”

“It’s not official yet. Bi will try to coerce me to return.”

“You won’t though, right?”

Yunho shook his head. “Of course not.”

“Then why –“

“It’s like they stripped my family from me, Jaejoong.”

Jae frowned and cuddled up next to him on the bed.

“Don’t worry, hyung,” Changmin said as he pulled a chair closer to the bed. “We’ll be your family.”

Yunho kissed Jae’s forehead. “You already are.” A tear dripped down Yunho’s cheek. He had sisters in the pack. Best friends.

Changmin started singing the song he’d left off on when they received Junsu’s frantic phone call.

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” Jae whispered. “I want to go to bed and wake up and not have to worry about being attacked and hurt. I don’t want my friends to be attacked and hurt.”

Yunho nodded and kissed him softly. “I know. I know.”

A couple hours later, there was a soft knock on the door. Jaejoong sprung away from Yunho, but did not let go of his hand. It was only a security guard.

“The other two are on their way here. The nurses have reminded me again that Yunho needs to be taken back to x-ray. So if you two will please come with us, we will escort you out the doors.”

Jae frowned, but nodded.

Yunho tightened his hold on Jaejoong’s hand. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

Jae nodded, and blinked back tears. “Have I called you stupid yet?”

Yunho smiled. “Yes. A few times.”

Jae kissed his forehead, and then Changmin tugged on his other arm. “Come on, hyung. It’s not like he’s dying. Not like you were two days ago.”

“Love you, stupid wolf,” Jae whispered.

“Love you, bea-oo-tiful faerie.”

Jae rolled his eyes but he was grinning. He let Changmin lead him out of the room, and they walked, a guard in front and one in back, to the elevator and down to the front doors. Only moments later, their car pulled up and they were escorted right to the door. Jae and Changmin climbed in.

Yoochun was sitting in the darkened back seat. Junsu was in one of the captain’s chairs.

“Haven’t made up then?” Changmin said.

“Shut up,” Junsu muttered. His arm was bandaged, and half of a pant leg was missing with more bandages on his lower leg.

“You okay, Su?” Jae asked as he climbed in the back with Yoochun.

“Yes. Just a few stitches.”

“Fifty-seven is a few?” Yoochun said, voice rising.

“How’s Yunho?” Junsu asked.

“They’re keeping him overnight,” Jaejoong replied.

“You got to see him?”

“Yeah. Lee Sooman-shi threatened to sue them.”

“Good.” Junsu sighed.

“Hyung.” Changmin held out his hand.

Junsu took it with a smile. “Thanks, Minnie.”

The link between him and Yoochun ached.

Jae noticed the falling of Yoochun’s face and he put his arm around the vampire. “Hold me, Chunnie. Make me feel better.”

Yoochun scoffed. “Being held by a vampire will make you feet better?”

Jae hummed in agreement. “There must be a reason why Junsu loves you besides your freakish fangs. Ah, right here.” Jae found a comfortable spot with his head tucked into Yoochun shoulder, and his legs curled up on the seat. “Yep. This spot. Don’t move, or I shall … crap. I can’t sting you with light anymore, can I?”

“Nope.”

“Fuck. Stupid powerful …” The rest was lost as Jaejoong buried deeper into his hold.

Yoochun smiled, and then felt a pang of jealousy down his link.

_Could be you, darling, so don’t you dare get mad at me. And I dare you to tell Jaejoong to move._

A mental scoff. _No thanks. I’m not that crazy._

v-v

Yunho wasn’t surprised when he woke up and Bi was standing next to his bed, eyes golden, barely suppressed anger right at the surface of his body. Yunho’s eyes found a clock. Three a.m.

“You are being released at eight a.m. A contingent of wolves will be here to escort you back to the pack. Your status as a beta wolf will not change, but you will be shuffled to the bottom.”

“Ooh, let me express my excitement.”

“I am being very lenient with you right now, Jung. I should rip out your throat.”

Yunho smiled. “Yes. You should. I wonder why you haven’t.”

“I’m all about giving my wolves second chances. Don’t fuck this up.”

“God forbid one wolf break free of the pack. You’ll have chaos on your hands when everyone under you realizes what a bastard you are.”

Bi snarled and growled.

“Problems?” a security guard asked, clearly showing both wolves the gun in his hand that Yunho knew would contain silver bullets. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would definitely slow him down enough to take a shot at the head. No creature but a zombie could survive a bullet wound to the brain.

“No,” Bi said, stiffly. “I was just leaving.”

He spun on his heel and left the room.

Fuck.

A contingent meant at least ten wolves. There was no way he was going to get out of this hospital and back to Jae and the others. If Bi meant to force him, well, he was going to have to do something more sneaky than this.

Yunho didn’t dare send a text to Jae or the others. Bi probably already put a bug in his phone.

Yunho whistled shortly, and the guard poked his head in the door.

“We’re leaving. Would you go get the doctor for me?” Yunho asked and sat up. The guard nodded. Yunho ripped the tape away from his elbow. Wincing, he removed the IV catheter from under his skin.

“Yunho, what is—“

“I’m leaving,” he said.

“You—“

“I’m discharging myself. It’s well within my rights.”

“Yes, but—”

“Sign the release papers, doctor. It doesn’t matter if you do or not. I’m walking out of this hospital as soon as I get dressed.”

The doctor frowned and left the room.

Yunho dressed quickly. He was only a little bit lightheaded. Nothing was broken.

“We have a car waiting,” the guard said.

“Good.”

Yunho shoved his feet into his boots and said, “Let’s go.”

The doctor was on a phone, and Yunho could see him gesticulating wildly. Probably on the phone to Bi. He’d be gone before Bi could get back.

“You’re willingly pissing off your pack leader?” one guard said.

“I have no pack,” Yunho muttered.

The other guard grunted. “Well, I’ll tell you one thing. This job has been a lot more interesting the last few weeks.”


	35. I wasn’t sure if I was invited or not.

“I’m hungry, hyung,” Changmin said as soon as they walked in the front door.

Jae smiled. “Aren’t you always?”

“Yes.”

“Come on then. Let’s go raid the kitchen. You two want something?” he asked Junsu and Yoochun.

“No,” Junsu said. “I just want to go to bed. I’m exhausted.”

Yoochun watched Junsu head down the hall, and then met Jae’s eyes.

“He’s not as mad as he was before,” Jae noted.

Yoochun shook his head. “No, but …”

“You should go talk to him now,” Changmin said. “While his defenses are low from being too tired. He’ll be more apt to tell you the truth and talk to you.”

“Or he’ll end up being bitching and rip my throat out.”

Changmin shrugged. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re already dead.”

Yoochun scoffed. He followed the path his elf had taken and entered their bedroom. Junsu was already naked, and Yoochun swallowed and stared at all of that skin. His fingers twitched. God, he wanted to touch him.

“God, these things sting,” Junsu muttered as he climbed into bed and under the branches of the willow tree.

Yoochun stayed by his desk.

“And they fucking itch.”

“That means they’re healing.”

“They need to heel faster.”

“Can’t you heal them?”

“Not this deep. I mean, they’ll heal faster than Yunho’s wounds will, but they’re going to be a bitch until tomorrow.”

Silence. Yoochun didn’t move, but watched, trying to catch a glimpse of Junsu through the thick branches.

 _Are you coming to bed?_ Junsu whispered.

_I wasn’t sure if I was invited or not._

_Stupid vampire. I’m mad at you; it’s not like I don’t want you anymore._

_That’s good to hear._

_Come to bed._

_Soon._

Yoochun sat at his keyboard. The song he’d written before the meeting with the Counsel sat on his desk. He picked it up, sighed, and then just played random music for a moment. He went back over his meeting with the Counsel, and the things Uruha and Miyavi had told him about the importance of being a good clan leader. So far, he was failing. He wasn’t even with his clan when he should be.

“Oh,” he said suddenly, and stood up.

“What?”

“I forgot. I have something for you.”

Junsu made the tree branches move so he could look at Yoochun. Yoochun found his Demon coat and dug through the pockets. He was sure the flower would be wilted by now, but to his surprise, the little pink flower was just as fresh as it had been when Omi cut it. He looked at it sitting in his palm, and then crawled onto the bed. He sat next to Junsu. Junsu let the branches close with a whish and hiss.

He held out his hand. “Omi says that because of my link with you, I can learn to make things grow, like you can.”

Junsu’s eyes went wide. “Um, did you just say Omi?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Omi is the name of one of the Elven protectors. Like a god.”

“Oh.” Yoochun showed him a picture of her down their mental link.

Junsu gasped. “No fucking way. She’s supposed to … she’s a vampire?”

Yoochun nodded. “One of the Counsel.”

Junsu was having problems breathing. “There … my … shit. My brother is going to fucking freak out.”

“What?”

“He’s our tribal historian, and he was telling me the last time I saw him about the myth that Omi was more than just an elf, that sometimes, witnesses said her eyes were red and her teeth long, and oh my god. This is insane.”

“She told me to give you this,” Yoochun said and held out his hand.

Junsu managed to focus on the flower in Yoochun’s palm and then his mouth dropped open. “An everlasting orchid? Holy shit. You’re … you do understand you’re proving elven myths? Fuck.”

“What do you mean?”

Very reverently, Junsu took the flower from Yoochun’s hand. It immediately shivered and green vines shot up from it, twisting around Junsu’s wrist. A green barb sank into his skin, and Junsu hissed. Yoochun went to snatch it away, but Junsu shook his head.

“Don’t, just … let it … Oh, shit.”

Junsu opened his mind to Yoochun, and Yoochun felt the power running through Junsu’s blood. He felt it as it knit Junsu’s wounds closed, and replenished his strength. His brown eyes suddenly glowed green. From somewhere, wind blew and then the vines left Junsu’s skin and waved in the air for a moment. Junsu held the flower up to the trunk of the tree, and it attached itself. The branches rustled and to Yoochun, every leaf went a brighter shade of green.

“A flower that never dies, and gives strength and life and power to anything it touches,” Junsu said, voice full of awe. “No elf alive has ever seen one.”

“Not anything,” Yoochun suddenly said, looking at the pink flower. It had lain dormant on his skin.

“Well, you’re not exactly alive, now are you?”

Yoochun scoffed. “No.”

“But don’t worry. If Omi of all people has said that I can teach you to make things grow, then I’ll teach you.”

Yoochun sighed. “I don’t like having all this power, Su. I just want to be normal.”

Junsu’s arms encircled his waist. “What is normal? Is a vampire normal? Or an elf, do you want to be human again? Or god, what about a zombie, nothing is normal about that.”

Yoochun leaned his head on Junsu’s shoulder. “I guess not.”

“How about instead of wanting to be normal, you want to be mine?”

“I already am yours, Su.”

Junsu kissed his bare shoulder. _Promise?_

_Yes. Forever. And I also promise that you’re the only one who will ever see me naked again. And you’re the only one who will ever get to touch me naked. And you’re the only one that is going to pin me down and drive me insane until you finally decide to take pity on me and let me come._

Junsu pulled away. His eyes were still shining green. A smile slowly spread his lips. _I like the sound of that last one._

Junsu pushed him to his back. Yoochun went willingly and helped Junsu remove the bandages from his body. His skin was perfect. It didn’t even look like he’d been injured. Yoochun ran his fingers over the skin.

“That flower is awesome.”

Junsu nodded. “Yes, it is. And I really hope you’re in for a long night because I feel like I can ride you for hours right now.”

Yoochun laughed. He put his arms behind his head and said, “Ride away, baby.”

Yoochun was naked in about two seconds, cloth ripping and nails scratching his skin. Junsu engulfed his cock, taking all of it at once, moaning immediately.

“Fuck, Su. Ever heard of foreplay.”

“Don’t want foreplay,” Junsu said as he licked the tip of Yoochun’s cock. “I want sex.” He took Yoochun back in his mouth. It definitely felt good not to have fangs scraping his skin as his cock was sucked.

And then Junsu bit him.

Yoochun cried out and met his eyes.

_Don’t fucking think of someone else when I’m sucking your cock, asshole._

Yoochun trailed fingers over Junsu’s face and into his hair. _Sorry, baby. Just noting how much better you are._

_Jack ass._

Junsu doubled his ministrations, and Yoochun stopped thinking, reveling in the feel of Junsu’s throat tightening on his cock. Energy sparked between them, and then Junsu reigned it in, sent green swirls up and around Yoochun’s cock.

Yoochun cried out, coming immediately. Junsu hummed in pleasure and swallowed. He pulled away, hand stroking Yoochun sensitive skin. The smell of lavender spread through their leafy enclosure, and Junsu covered Yoochun’s cock with oil.

“Just when I think I’ve seen all your tricks,” Yoochun said with a smile.

Junsu smirked. “Trust me, I have more.”

Something slithered along Yoochun’s side and before he could get away from it, vines were wrapped around his wrists and his arms were spread out, attached to the tree branch above his head.

Junsu climbed over him. “Hmm, just what I wanted.”

“Su,” Yoochun whined and tested the strength of the vines.

“What? Tell me you don’t deserve it and I’ll let you go.”

Yoochun met his eyes and kept his mouth shut.

“That’s what I thought.” Junsu took Yoochun’s cock in his hand and pressed the head against his hole. He sat carefully, slowly impaling himself. He shut his eyes against the stretch from not being prepared. He rose and fell, pulling a cry from Yoochun’s throat.

“Hang on to something baby,” Junsu said, and then laughed when Yoochun’s hands gripped the vines connected to his wrists.

Junsu reached above him and grabbed a tree branch, using it as leverage to lift up higher and slam down harder onto Yoochun’s cock. Yoochun whimpered and cried out his name with almost every movement. After a moment, he got his legs under him and thrust up as Junsu pushed down, slapping their skin together in time with their moans.

There was no need to join their minds, because Yoochun was nearing his orgasm almost immediately. Junsu was pumping him full of green energy, teasing it along his skin, and it was enough that Yoochun could watch it. Watch it flow over him like a river through a valley, twisting around his muscles and rushing over his chest and hips. It wasn’t like anything Yoochun had felt before. Even the last few times with Junsu, his energy hadn’t felt like this.

“Su, I’m … fuck …” Yoochun shut his eyes, tugging on the vines as a spasm rocked his body and he came, filling Junsu up.

Junsu hummed in appreciation and used the extra fluid to ride him faster; each time Yoochun almost slipped out of him and then Junsu pushed back down, his head back, eyes shut, mouth open.

Yoochun whimpered as mini orgasms shot through his body from Junsu not giving him time to recover. “I want to touch you, Su. Fuck. I want to run my hands on your skin.”

“Later. Busy now.”

Yoochun smiled.

Junsu let go of the tree above him, and leaned over Yoochun’s body. He kissed him, fast and deep, just like their fucking. Yoochun used the new angle to thrust up into Junsu’s body faster.

“Bite me,” Junsu whispered. “I know you need it.”

Yoochun groaned, and without being told twice, let his fangs free and slammed them into Junsu’s neck. Energy rich blood flowed into his mouth, and just like that, he was coming again, screaming into Junsu’s neck. Warmth splattered on his stomach as Junsu’s orgasm tore through him. And time stopped for just a moment, before Junsu was moving again, riding Yoochun’s cock, but slowly.

Suddenly, Yoochun’s arms fell, free of the vines and he wrapped his arms around Junsu’s sweaty body. He rolled them over, carefully, and continued to drink, and fucked Junsu harder. Hips slapping against his. Junsu twisted his legs until they were up over Yoochun’s shoulder, and Yoochun had to pull away from his neck before he ended up ripping out Junsu’s jugular. He held Junsu’s hips for leverage, and Junsu was practically bent in half.

Their lips met in a bloody kiss and stayed more or less pressed together as sweat gathered on their skin.

As their fucking grew more frantic, their energy broke free, twirling and swirling around them. Again Yoochun felt grass under his body instead of blankets. The smell of earth and dirt and blood filled the room.

Junsu’s legs tightened around Yoochun’s neck, and he screamed as another orgasm ripped through him, and he came long and hard. Because of the angle of his body, he ended up coming on his face and chest. Yoochun growled. He moved Junsu’s legs from his shoulders and leaned down to lick up the come.

The bite on Junsu’s neck was still bleeding. Yoochun licked up the blood and then once again slid his fangs into Junsu’s neck. Junsu whimpered, so pliant now, gasping, barely moving, and Yoochun slowed the pace of both his drinking and his thrusts.

“God, I love you,” Junsu managed to choke out, voice thick with pleasure.

 _I love you_ , Yoochun replied.

And everything slowed, heartbeats, thrusts, breaths, thoughts, feelings. Yoochun stayed inside Junsu, only pushing deep and relaxing, never really pulling out. He stopped drinking before he lost complete control and ended up killing Junsu, and then their lips met, breath mingled, eyes locked, energy entwined as they slowly made their way to another orgasm. It was not less insistent, no less pleasurable, but the best part was that it was together.

“Yoochun, god, I—I love you. I love you so much,” Junsu whispered as his brain was clouded by pleasure.

“I love you,” Yoochun returned. And they kissed, swallowing each others moans as Junsu once again spilled his release between their bodies, and Yoochun lost himself in Junsu’s clenching hole.

Neither moved for a long time.

Junsu whimpered and pulled away from the kiss, burying his face into Yoochun’s neck. _No more fighting. I can’t take it when I’m upset with you._

 _I can’t promise that everything will be perfect_ , Yoochun replied, _but I can promise that I will do my best not to piss you off anymore. You’re pretty scary when you’re upset._

_Mr. Powerful Vampire is afraid of a little elf?_

_If that little elf is going to leave me because I did something stupid, yes. I’m afraid of that._

“I won’t, Chunnie,” Junsu whispered. “I won’t, but you’re mine.”

Yoochun nodded. “Yours.”

Their lips met again, and they readjusted until Yoochun was curled up against Junsu’s side, their roles reversed for a moment as Yoochun took the comfort of Junsu’s energy. Sleep fell upon them just as the sky outside turned gray with the impending dawn.


	36. I love rough and bitter.

Yunho pushed open the door a little later than he should have. He’d taken the risk and made a stop before going home. He wasn’t surprised to see Changmin and his vampire girl curled up on the couch. They were ignoring the movie playing, instead kissing and laughing and smiling.

Changmin caught sight of him at the door. “Yunho hyung, I thought—”

“My pack leader threatened to detain me when I was released from the hospital, so I left.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just need to go lie down and rest. Where’s Jaejoong?”

“In your room.”

Yunho nodded and headed down the hall. He opened the bedroom door and stopped. Jae was sleeping, in his clothes, so Yunho knew that exhaustion was what had made his darling faerie finally fall asleep. Because god forbid, Jaejoong wear wrinkled clothes.

He undressed, head going a bit light as he pulled on a pair of flannel pants. He needed to sit down, so he did.

Jaejoong was immediately awake. “Yunnie, what the—”

“Bi paid me a visit and said that as soon as I was discharged that I was going to be taken back to the pack, so I left the hospital.”

Jaejoong hugged him, mindful of the wound on his shoulder. “That was a good idea.”

Yunho leaned into the hug for a moment and then smiled. “I got you something,” he whispered.

Jae’s eyes went wide, and then he laughed and clapped his hands when Yunho pulled out a small container of lemon ice cream.

“God, you stupid wolf. You’re running away from an angry alpha male and you stop to get me ice cream?”

“Well, I love you.”

Jae kissed him. “I love you, too. Now feed me.”

Yunho took the top off the ice cream. It had melted a bit, but it was easier to scoop out with the plastic spoon he’d grabbed from the store.

Jae moaned with the first bite. “I do love you, but I may love lemon ice cream more.”

“Well, that is understandable. This is sweet and smooth, and I’m rough and bitter.”

Jae smiled. “I love rough and bitter.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you love me?”

Jae put his arms around Yunho’s shoulders as the spoon disappeared into his mouth again. “You care about us. You care about all of us. You have this natural instinct to take care of people. You proved it when you thought of Changmin’s lack of food before any of us were even friends. You proved it when you let Yoochun feed off you when he was attacked. And when you sat by my bed while I healed and when you helped Junsu when you could have ran away. I haven’t met anyone else in my life that would do that.”

“You would,” Yunho said.

Jae smiled. “Now I would, but a few weeks ago, I would have laughed at you all and gone back to making my nails shinier.”

Yunho lifted Jae’s hand and inspected the fingernails. “They are getting a bit dull.”

Jae snatched his hand away and looked at them carefully.

Yunho laughed.

Jae slugged his shoulder. “I hate you,” he said with a pout.

“No, you don’t,” Yunho replied and held up another bite of ice cream.

Jae turned away from it with an arrogant sniff.

Yunho smiled and turned the spoon upside down so the ice cream dripped down his chest. “Sure you don’t want it?” Yunho asked.

Jae opened his mouth to snap at him, and then caught site of the ice cream. He swallowed. Yunho added another spoonful to his skin. Jae’s eyes sparkled with blue and he dove for Yunho’s chest. He licked the ice cream up, sending shots of energy into Yunho’s body. Yunho was hard in a second.

But then Jae pulled back. “You’re injured,” he said.

“I’m alright.”

“You’re just horny.”

“And you’re not?”

Jae frowned. “But …”

Yunho kissed him. He sat the ice cream down on the side table and then very carefully climbed into bed and lay on his back. “Looks like you’re just going to have to do all the work.”

That blue was back in Jae’s eyes, a hungry smile on his lips.

“Make you sticky,” Jae said and reached for the ice cream. Between the two of them, there wasn’t must left, and spoonful after spoonful landed on Yunho’s body and was sucked into Jaejoong’s mouth.

“God, it tastes better from your skin,” Jae muttered.

The last bite did not end up on Yunho’s chest like he thought it would. Jae held up the spoonful of quickly melting ice cream. He stuck his tongue out as it dripped, and then licked the underside of the spoon. With a wanton moan, he covered the spoon with his mouth, lips closing far up the handle. He moved the spoon in and out of his mouth a few times, blue radiating eyes on Yunho’s. He felt his own pleasure rise, his eyes go golden. He growled, low in his throat and Jae moaned, suddenly rocking his hips where he’d been straddling Yunho’s waist. He sucked on the spoon for only a moment longer and then slowly pulled it out of his mouth, licking every inch of it before dropping it into the empty container.

“That was good,” Jae said.

“I’ll give you something better.”

Jae leaned down, still rocking his ass on Yunho’s erection. He smirked and said, “That was really corny and lame.”

Yunho smiled. “But true.”

“Yes, I’ve had my smooth and sweet, and now I want my rough and bitter.” Jae slinked down Yunho’s body, licking his way past nipples and abs. He tugged on the sleep pants, and Yunho lifted his hips so Jaejoong could pull them off.

He lifted Yunho’s cock away from his body and licked up the stream of clear liquid, twirling his tongue around the head.

Yunho growled and clutched the blankets at his side.

“You know,” Jae said and then licked him again before continuing, “I meant it when I said I wanted it rough.”

Yunho met his eyes for a moment. Jae smirked and then went back to licking Yunho’s cock. God, what the hell did that mean? Jae whimpered a bit and scraped Yunho’s cock with his teeth. Yunho’s eyes shut with a hiss and he unconsciously thrust his hips up. Jae gagged and then let loose a moan laced with so much pleasure, it made Yunho’s head spin.

“I’m not going to break,” Jae whispered, and then took Yunho as deep as he could, over and over until his lips pressed against Yunho’s body.

“Fuck, Jaejoong,” Yunho muttered. His hands landed on Jae’s head, and Jae made an enthusiastic noise, the vibrations making Yunho shiver.

Rough? He wanted it rough? Yunho slid his fingers into Jae’s hair and tugged. Jae whimpered, begging for more. Yunho pulled Jae up by his hair and then pushed him back down. Jae’s face tightened with pain, but he didn’t tell Yunho to stop and continued to swirl his tongue around Yunho’s cock.

“Is this what you want?” Yunho asked, growling.

Jae mewled, and met Yunho’s eyes. They were playful, coy, still flashing with blue light.

With another growl, Yunho gave Jae what he wanted. He forced Jae’s mouth up and down his cock, fingers tightening while pleasure shot through his body. A dull ache rose from his shoulder, but he ignored it. He shifted his feet, until they were planted and he could thrust up while yanking Jae down. Jae whimpered and his body shook. Jolts of energy shot into Yunho’s body where Jae held onto his hips, further escalating his pleasure.

When his orgasm finally crashed over him, he growled, breaking off half way to howl. And he went completely limp, hands falling from Jae’s head, chest rising and falling in deep gasps. He shuddered when his cock slipped from Jae’s mouth.

Soft lips pressed up his stomach and over his chest.

“You’re insane,” Yunho whispered. “Did I hurt you?”

“God, no,” Jae said, voice a bit raspy. Jae kissed him, rough and dominant, until Yunho growled. Jae immediately gave over control of the kiss, licking at Yunho’s lips in apology. Yunho’s arms went around Jae’s back and his lust-filled mind reminded him to be careful of the delicate wings on Jae’s back.

He pulled back a bit and smirked.

“What?” Jae asked.

Yunho shut his eyes and concentrated on one hand, feeling the fingers lengthen and the claws extend. He scraped the edge of a claw against the edge of Jae’s wing.

Jae shuddered. “Oh my god,” he whispered and then kissed Yunho again, content to let him lead and hold him and trace that claw over and under the contours of his wings.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Jae said, clambering to sit up. “That’s enough. I want you so fucking badly right now.”

Yunho’s clawed hand touched Jae’s thigh, and Jae smacked his hand. “No way. You tear up these jeans and I’m going to hate you. I love these jeans.”

Yunho growled. “Then you better be naked in the next three seconds.”

Jae smiled and quickly climbed off Yunho’s lap and took his clothes off.

“Too slow,” Yunho said, voice growling in warning.

Jae held his hand out and snatched the bottle of lube that came flying from too much power. Jae poured it over his hand, and then wrapped his hand around Yunho’s cock and stroked him, sending more blue energy into Yunho’s body until his cock was hard and leaking again.

Jae twisted around, so he was still straddling Yunho’s knees, but his ass was towards Yunho. He easily slipped two fingers into his own hole and started pumping, moaning from the stretch.

Yunho growled again and said, “I thought you wanted it rough.”

Jae whimpered and immediately removed his fingers. He readjusted, and then lifted Yunho’s cock and sat on it. Head thrown back, wings shuddering as his body stretched to accommodate Yunho’s cock.

“Fuck, Jae.”

Jae leaned back, hands on the bed and lifted his hips, sliding Yunho’s cock in and out of his body. It wasn’t the best position, but god, Yunho’s cock felt good.

Claws once again scraped the edges of his wings. Jae whimpered, speeding up as little bolts of pleasure and energy flew through him.

“Yunho, fuck, Yunho. I—“ Jae broke off with a deep moan when Yunho shifted his hips.

“What do you want, Jaejoong?”

“En-energy,” he gasped. He threw blue trails of energy at Yunho. Yunho flinched as they hit his skin and then were absorbed immediately. But he could still feel them, running through his body, twisting around him.

Jae’s eyes shut. He sped up his movements as his energy sped through Yunho’s body, searching for that call, for that answer to what he needed. Maybe Yunho was too tired, still recovering from his injury, or god, what if they couldn’t—

And then Jae gasped, his elbows shook and almost collapsed as Yunho’s energy was suddenly there, golden wrapping around his. Just like the first time, their energy swirled around the other, molding and connecting.

Jae sighed, a smile on his face and then moaned as the pleasure in their bodies more than doubled.

“Fuck, Jaejoong. Fuck,” Yunho said as he shivered.

Yunho held Jae still, claws digging but not cutting the skin at his hips. He raised Jae up a bit and fucked him, thrust into him hard and fast as pleasure danced around their energy. Jae felt Yunho coming, felt it building to the point of explosion. He managed to get a hand around his cock and stroked, double time to Yunho’s thrusts.

With a strangled yell that sounded like Jaejoong’s name, Yunho came, body shuddering and twitching as he pumped Jaejoong full. His hands tightened a bit too much and a claw sliced open the skin at Jae’s hip.

Jae cried out as the pain melded with the energy and he came, vision full of blue and golden light, before it went gray and black and he fell, boneless against Yunho beneath him. Yunho wrapped his arms around Jaejoong. His hands—claw free—slid over Jae’s sweaty body, and his lips pressed below his ear.

“I wish I’d known sex with a werewolf was this amazingly awesome,” Jae muttered.

Yunho scoffed. “You would have had yourself a little sex slave if you had.”

Jae smiled. “Don’t I have one now?”

Yunho laughed. “Yes.

Jae moved, hissing when Yunho slipped out him. He rolled over and lay flat against Yunho’s chest. Their lips met, Yunho’s fingers traced his wings.

“Sorry, I hurt you,” Yunho whispered.

Jae shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s a little cut.”

“You should go bandage it though or you’re going to get blood all over everything.”

Jae sighed. “I don’t want to get up. You did it to me. You go get me a bandage.”

“I’m injured worse than you are and instead of letting me rest, you used me for your own sexual pleasure.”

Jae hummed and sang, “Sex slave.”

Yunho laughed. “Go on, you lazy faerie. I’ll worship you more tomorrow.”

Jae kissed Yunho’s chest and pushed himself up. The cut on his hip bled down his leg. He had no desire to put clothes on and ruin them, so he left the bedroom naked.

Changmin was in the bathroom, just as naked as Jae was, cleaning up his own mess. He smirked at Changmin’s reflection.

“God, what happened to you?” Changmin asked.

“Yunho got a bit wolfy.”

Changmin laughed. “You alright?”

“Yep, just need to bandage it up.”

“You need Junsu to heal it, but based on the noises from their room, they aren’t coming out any time soon.”

“They must be done, it was quiet when I walked by.” Jae handed him a bandage and sat on the toilet. “Here, you do it.”

Changmin took the supplies and got on his knees to help Jaejoong.

“What about you? How was your night?”

Changmin smirked. “Sex with an unrestrained vampire. Nothing better.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I think I’d end up killing a vampire.”

“Right, the sparkly come thing,” Changmin said and laughed.

Jaejoong smacked him. “How did you--?”

“Yunho told us.”

“He is so dead.”

“Well, since light doesn’t affect Yoochun anymore I bet you could have sex with him without killing him.”

“Yeah, and then Junsu would kill me, and I’m really too pretty to die.”

Changmin’s eyebrows rose.

“What?” Jae demanded. “Can you imagine a world without me in it?”

Changmin smiled. “It’d be an ugly, dark, cold and incredibly boring place. Peaceful, but boring.”

“Should I be insulted?”

“Well, I did call you pretty in a round-a-bout sort of way.”

Jae smiled. “Then I am not insulted.”

“There you go,” Changmin said and stood up. “All better. And you were such a good boy.” He kissed the top of his head.

Jae batted him away. “Fucker. Go back to your dead girlfriend.”


	37. It's getting too dangerous.

A few hours later, Lee Sooman called and said that he was on his way over to talk to them about the group. He feared it was too dangerous for any of them to leave right now to go down to the studio.

The five of them met in the living room.

“I think we need to decide what to do before Sooman gets here,” Yunho said. “I have always just wanted to sing and dance, but I don’t want to see any of us attacked or injured again.”

Yoochun nodded. “With me being a clan leader, there’s a chance that people may try to kill me.”

“Good luck with that,” Jae muttered.

“Or they might try to hurt all of you to get to me.”

“God damn, Miyavi!” Junsu shouted.

“Don’t, Su. He was right. I never should have tried to leave them. It’s my own fault.”

“I know, but I still hate him for what he did to you.”

“So what do we do?” Changmin asked. “Give up? Be done?”

Silence greeted this comment.

Jaejoong shrugged. “I want to keep sticking it to them, you know? Proving assholes like Heechul wrong. There’s nothing wrong with not being a faerie. Yes, we’re way prettier than all of you, but you all have your good points, too.”

The others nodded. Yunho put his arm around Jaejoong and kissed his forehead.

“God this is a mess,” Yoochun said and stood up, pacing the kitchen. The brightly lit with sunlight kitchen.

“It’s still weird to see you walking around in sunlight, hyung,” Changmin said.

Yoochun smirked. “It’s still weird to not have to watch for Changmin scraps wherever I walk.”

They grinned at each other.

“I say that if Sooman can provide the security, then we should do this,” Junsu said. “I told Yoochun that I couldn’t think of any elves that would be after me because of this group, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try.”

“I guess …” Yunho said. “But … god, what if one of us dies?”

“Again?” Changmin said with a smirk.

“Your head won’t regenerate if it’s chopped off.”

Changmin frowned. “True.”

“This sucks,” Jae said with a pout. “I like to sing.”

“So do I,” Junsu said.

It was silent again.

“I’m going to make something to eat,” Jae said. “You guys hungry?”

He received four confirmations.

They had just finished eating when Lee Sooman called Yunho’s phone and said he was in the elevator on his way up. Changmin and Yoochun moved the chairs from the kitchen into the living room.

Jae answered the door when Sooman arrived. He and three other executives sat in the chairs. Four security guards stayed outside the door.

“First off,” Sooman said after the necessary pleasantries, “Yunho, your pack leader and three other wolves are waiting for you to leave.”

“Great,” Yunho muttered.

“Don’t worry too much. You’re going to be escorted wherever you go. All five of you are.”

"It's getting too dangerous," Jae said.

"I agree."

"And I have clan duties now," Yoochun said.

"You said you didn't have a clan," Sooman said.

"Well, I didn't but some crazy bitch vampire was after me, so I had to kill her, and now her clan is my clan."

"Let’s compromise then," Sooman said. "We already have a very secure suite set up for you, a six bedroom penthouse. And three security guards will be outside your door at all times. We move you in there today, and tomorrow, we release the song, and then that's it. We judge the effect it has, and then based on that we decide what to do with the group."

"And if we disband?" Junsu asked. "We've all been ostracized from our creatures. We'll still be in danger."

Lee Sooman frowned. "Yes. But you’re all still under contract. So if all else fails, all five of you are good enough to be solo artists. It might be easier.”

The five looked at each other, and then four sets of eyes settled on Yunho. He sighed and nodded. "We'll release the song, and then decide."

"The name, the one that girl gave you, Rising Creatures, is what the media is already calling you, so we will stick to that. I will make an announcement that the song will be released tomorrow. If you guys are willing to work really hard, we’ll beef up security and film the video tonight.”

The five of them exchanged glances. And Yunho nodded. “We can do that?”

“Are you and Junsu alright?”

Yunho nodded. “Yeah. Junsu actually helped heal my arm,” Yunho said, not mentioning the little flower that sped the process along.

“Good. Go pack up your things, and then you’re going directly to your new apartment, and you can rest there for a bit."

Yoochun frowned and looked at Su. _Don’t worry, baby. I can grow us another tree._

v-v

The new suite was exquisite, and only a couple blocks from SME’s main building. It was already furnished, and there was a rush to claim the best bedroom, but upon inspection, all the bedrooms were amazing. YooSu picked one, and YunJae another. Changmin snagged his own, and then two of the others were declared music rooms. Yoochun figured that if they did end up not being a group, they’d still be able to record and release music.

The security guards were given names and pictures of the people allowed in the building.

Almost immediately, Junsu took one of the many potted plants around the living room and turned it into a lemon tree.

Jaejoong came out of the kitchen and squealed in delight. He threw his arms around Junsu’s shoulders and kissed his cheek.

“Oh my god, Junsu, lemons are my favorite. I love you.” And then he flew through the living room shouting for Yunho to come and see.

Yoochun wrapped his arms around Junsu and said, “What about our tree?”

Junsu smirked. “I figure we go in the bedroom, get naked and see what grows?”

Yoochun licked his lips. “Fuck.” He flung Junsu over his shoulder and headed down the hall.

Junsu kicked and laughed. He waited until Yoochun was almost at the edge of the bed and then shot vines out and wrapped them around his feet. Yoochun tripped and fell, throwing Junsu. With a bounce, Junsu landed in the middle of the bed. He propped up on his elbows and looked down at his vampire.

Yoochun ripped through the vines around his ankles and glared up at his elf.

Junsu smirked.

Yoochun smiled, let his fangs lower and pounced.

v-v

There was a squeal and Jaejoong looked up worried, and then sighed at the answering growl. He threw energy down the hallway and a door slammed, sufficiently cutting out the noises.

“At it already,” Yunho said with a headshake.

Jae scoffed.

Yunho kissed his shoulder. “Sounds like a fantastic idea.”

With a swivel, Jae moved away from him. “Not until I’ve faerie-cleaned this place. I may not be as finicky as I used to be, letting a werewolf touch me and all, but that doesn’t mean I want to live someplace dirty.”

Yunho looked around. “Jae, this place is spotless.”

“Says you. But you grew up in a fucking cave, wolf boy. Let me clean and then you can get me dirty.”

Yunho shook his head in defeat. “Fine, fine. I’ll go out with Changmin and stock up your kitchen.”

“Um, no you won’t. Pack leader wants to kidnap you, remember? And you are not leaving this place without all of us.”

Yunho sighed. “So I’m grounded. Great.”

Jae frowned. He slid up against Yunho and hugged him, kissing his lips gently. “I’m sorry, Yunnie. I’m just worried about you.”

“I know. Bi isn’t going to try anything. He’s going to give up after a week, and then that will be it.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s a pack thing. He’d rather have me kicked out, than have me there threatening his power. I’d rather stay here and watch you fly around anyway. You’re so beautiful.”

Jae smiled, a hint of pink rising in his cheeks. Yunho had never seen him blush and it was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen.

“I love you,” Yunho whispered and stole another kiss.

“I love you,” Jae replied, lips together.

v-v

“We look like idiots,” Yoochun grumbled.

“No,” Jae said, pampering in front of the mirror. The lion costume wasn’t that bad. The brown matched his hair really well. “You guys look like idiots. I look good in everything.”

“Be nice, Jae,” Yunho said.

Jae grabbed the tail of Yunho’s costume. “Can we keep the tail?”

Yunho smiled. “Why?”

“It’s soft,” Jae whispered and trailed it through his fingers. “It won’t chafe my wrists.”

Yunho growled before he could stop it.

“God, knock it off,” Junsu snapped.

“Smile, hyungs,” Changmin said and suddenly appeared holding a camera. The others rolled their eyes, but Jae immediately smiled and batted his eyelashes at the camera.

“You look perfect in that lion suit, hyung.”

“Why thank you, Minnie. You look silly.”

Changmin scoffed.

“Why are you filming this?” Yoochun asked.

“To put on our website. I was talking to Athena the other day and she said we should start filming us together, show the world how we get along and crap.”

More than one of them scoffed.

But Jae smiled again. “Great idea.” He hooked his arm around Yunho’s shoulder and said, “This is Yunho, best looking werewolf in the entire universe.”

Yunho smiled and put his arm around Jae’s waist. “And this is Jaejoong, the most beautiful creature in the entire universe, and probably all the other universes in the entirety of worlds and universes.”

Jae frowned and looked at him, and then shook his head. “You’re such a dork.”

“Hyungs, camera,” Changmin said, right before Jae leaned in to kiss him.

“Right.”

“So Jae why don’t you tell everyone what we’re doing?”

“What we’re doing? We’re waiting for stupid people to do their jobs right so we can film our music video and then go to bed. I’m so tired.”

“I told you, you should have napped,” Yunho said.

Jae shot him a grin. “Yes, but I had better things to do, didn’t I?”

Changmin hastily turned the camera to YooSu, though they weren’t much better. Junsu was fiddling with the furry hood of Yoochun’s costume, flipping it back and then tugging on the bunny ears on Yoochun’s head.

Yoochun smacked his hands away.

“Hyungs, I’m making a video for our website,” Changmin said.

Yoochun didn’t look right at the camera, but Junsu smiled and said, “Hello to everyone. Look how cute!” Junsu turned in a circle to show off his costume.

“Yeah, cute,” Yoochun growled.

“So, hyung,” Changmin said, “how’s everything going?”

Yoochun looked at the camera. “Well, besides being exhausted and having people doing all they can to keep us from debuting, I’d say it’s going pretty well.”

Yunho was suddenly there, an arm around Yoochun. “We’re doing fine, because no matter what happens, we’ll always be together. We may not be able to debut as a group to the world, but to us, we’re already a group and we’re already friends.”

Junsu shoved him. “You’re so corny.”

“Tell me it’s not true.”

Junsu laughed. “No, it’s true.”

Someone shouted for them. Changmin turned the camera to himself and said, “Looks like we’re finally going to start filming. Wish us luck. We hope you all like it. We will work hard. And thank you so much for your support.” Changmin quickly put the camera back in his bag and headed to the others on the makeshift stage.

They stood in their costumes and then Yoochun glared at Changmin. “I’m still blaming you for this, zombie boy.”

“It’ll be great. Creatures fighting?”

They all nodded and formed a circle and put their hands in the middle.

Jae said, “Wait.”

“What?” Yunho asked.

“We need a chant. It has to be cool.”

There were smiles all around.

“What do you propose?”

“Faerie, wolf, zombie, vamp, elf, Rising Creatures fighting?”

“Hey, why am I last?” Junsu asked. “And why are you first?”

Jae rolled his eyes. “It flows best that way.”

“Why not say zombie, elf, vamp wolf faerie creatures fighting?” Changmin said.

“No way,” Yoochun said and gave Changmin a shove. “It’s your fault we’re in these ridiculous costumes. You do not get to be first.”

“Jae’s right, you guys. It flows best that way. The rhythm is right,” Yunho said. “And Su, just think of it as saving the best for last.”

Jae scoffed.

“Fine,” Junsu said.

They moved their hands up and down. “Faerie, wolf, zombie, vamp, elf, Rising Creatures fighting!” Except Junsu switched Elf and Faerie and put it all off and laughed while Jae dove across the circle to smack him.

v-v

 **Two months later** :

_“Thank you for coming on short notice. It is with great regret that I announce the disbandment of Rising Creatures of the East.”_

_Titters rose through the reporters._

_“After many physical attacks on the group members, death threats and riots and protests outside this building, we have decided that it is too dangerous for the members, and we have no desire for any of them to die. I had hoped that the creatures of this world would be able to look past their differences and embrace the quality of music that these five men are capable of producing.”_

_“Lee Sooman-shi, what does this mean for the members?_

_“Some will be debuting as solo artists. The young zombie Changmin will resume his solo activities, and the elf and faerie will both release solo albums this year.”_

_“And what of rumors that Rising Creatures has a few more songs already recorded?”_

_“That is true. But they will not be released at this time. If you guys want to hear more music from them, stop being bigoted bastards.”_

Jae scoffed and turned the TV off. He snuggled into Yunho’s body. “This sucks.”

“It was inevitable,” Changmin said with a nod.

“Shut up, Minnie,” Jae snapped. “At least you still get to perform.”

Yunho kissed Jae’s forehead. “So do you, and Yoochun is going to write all your songs, and—”

“I know, I know. But what about you?”

Yunho smiled. “As long as I still get to have you, I’m happy.”

Jaejoong’s phone rang. He squealed when he saw the display. “Athena!” he shouted.

“Jaejoong!” she shouted.

“You’re pretty!”

“No, you’re pretty!”

“You’re pretty!”

Yunho rolled his eyes and rose from the couch as the shouting continued. He went to the kitchen. Yoochun sat at the table, shirtless and chewing on the end of a pencil. There were gashes in his back from the group of elves that had caught him alone the night before.

“You alright?”

“Dandy. Writing a song. Shut up.”

“Sorry, vampire master.”

Jae flew in the kitchen. “Guess what? Athena and Ueda and everyone are coming over. We’re going to have a disbandment party. I need to start cooking.” He started digging through the kitchen shelves.

Yoochun rose and headed down the hall, away from the noise. Junsu was in bed, and without looking away from his paper, Yoochun climbed under the branches of their tree and snuggled up next to him. The sweet smell of everlasting orchids filled the enclosure. Junsu moaned in his sleep and suddenly there was a leg around his hips. Lips pressed against Yoochun’s shoulder.

“Hey, love.”

“Hey.”

“What are you writing?”

“A sappy love song for your debut.”

“Hmm, I love sappy.”

Yoochun smiled and added another line to his song about love, devotion and dedication. After a hundred and some odd years, he was getting damn good at writing love songs.


End file.
